In this edition of Supporters Forum, KickOff catches up with the popular Orlando Pirates drum king Hamilton "DrumBoss" Zulu about his long-standing affair with the Mighty Buccaneers.
The KwaZulu-Natal-born fan reveals why he is the best drummer in the Premier Soccer League.
Name of supporter?
"My real name is Hamilton Sakhikhaya Zulu. I'm from Motubatuba in KZN. I'm not employed anywhere, I survive on piece jobs.
"The nickname "DrumBoss" was given to me by fans who admired my unmatched skill in drum-beating. I got the name from a guy called Mlaba, who is from Durban.
"Nobody taught me how to beat a drum. To me, it came naturally. I was inspired by my grandfather, who was a member of the Shembe church [Nazareth Baptist Church].
"After complaints were raised about the Vuvuzela, which was sometimes used as a weapon by others, I decided to come up with this thing of beating a drum to keep my fellow supporters, and even the players, entertained.
"Some fans thought the reason I'm able to do this for the whole 90 minutes is because I'm under the influence of liquor or drugs [laughs]. They were surprised to learn that I don't drink and I don't smoke. My only purpose is to bring the vibe to stadiums.
"During matches, you will never find me sitting behind the coaches' benches because I don't like people who spend the whole game telling a coach who to put in and so on.
"The reason you will always find me on the opposite side of the bench is because I go to the stadium to support the team."
Club supported?
"I have never supported any other club besides Pirates. I started supporting Pirates from the days of Jomo Sono. He is the one who attracted me to Pirates."
How long supported?
"I can't even count how many years I've been a Buccaneer, but what I remember is that my first time watching Pirates live in the stadium was in 1995 when they were playing ASEC Mimosas in the CAF Champions League at FNB Stadium."
Are you happy with the bosses?
"I'm very happy, even though they haven't done that much for me, except here and there. The people who assist me and help me are mostly the club supporters. They like the fact that my presence at the stadium entertains them and the players. Sometimes they even assist me with transport money to go to the stadium. They also assist me with the drum material when it bursts.
"A month ago, the Pirates supporters from the Ethekwini region put together some money and bought me two brand-new drums. Each drum costs about R2 200."
Are you happy with the coach?
"I'm very happy with our coach Jose Riveiro, before his arrival we were a sad family, but now we are happy. We've already won three trophies under his guidance, we might add another Nedbank Cup, and we stand a good chance of finishing second or third on the log."
Are you happy with the players?
"Very happy. My only concern is the goalkeeping department. We need a strong goalkeeper who is not from South Africa."
Who do you want them to sign?
"Khanyisa Mayo and Iqraam Rayners. At least if we can get one of them, I will be happy. We already have Tshegofatso Mabasa and Evidence Makgopa, only if we add these other two in case of injuries, then our strike force will be unstoppable."
Your message to the team?
"At all times, they must remember that as fans we are not benefiting anything. Getting a free ticket or t-shirt from the club is a very big thing to us. Other than that, we just attend games to support them. The only thing we want from them is a win."