In this edition of Locker Room Secrets, former Moroka Swallows and South Africa Under-23 captain shares some amusing stories that leave KickOff in stitches.
Who was always late?
"Eric Ramasike [laughs], that guy led a busy life. I mean, he knew we were preparing for a match, but he always had a lot of things to do before the game.
"And you must remember that in those days we didn't go to camp for every game. We only stayed in a hotel when we were playing away or against teams like Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, and Mamelodi Sundowns.
"As players, we requested the Swallows management to allocate the camping budget as our winning bonuses.
"We were earning peanuts at Swallows, so you must remember that. The salary wasn't great compared to other teams."
Any interesting ritual you always did before a game?
"No, we only used the team's muti. If you refused to take part, you were removed from the starting lineup. We had a muti man who collected our kits every Friday.
"You were either born again or not; you had to participate. I remember our goalkeeper, William Shongwe, ended up leaving the club because he is a born-again Christian—in fact, he is a mfundisi. According to his beliefs, he couldn't follow those rituals. That's why he didn't last long at Swallows.
"David Chabeli released him. If you didn't want to use muti, you weren't even allowed to sit on the bench; your place was in the stands.
"Even the white players, like Roger De Sa and Graham Louw, used to participate in those rituals."
Who was the jokester?
"Steve Sekano was a problem. He was very troublesome, even on the plane; he was the one coming up with tricks.
"When we played away, he would tell the new youngsters to bring a blanket and a passport to camp. The youngsters would go along, not knowing we were going to sleep in a hotel.
"Tell me, why would someone need a passport when the game is in Durban?"
Who was the singer?
"Andries Mpondo. His upbeat songs always put us in a good mood before a match."
Who was the best dressed and the worst dressed?
"At Swallows, we didn't dress well. But things changed when the club signed Russell Molefe from Sundowns. That guy was very neat. While the rest of us showed up in flip-flops and shorts, he came to training in a suit. You could tell he was focused, and we had no choice but to try and follow his good example."
Who never showered?
"The Lekgetho brothers. Those two hated the shower. Our coach, Augusto Palacios, eventually set a rule that everyone had to shower after practice. He even offered to buy shower gels and soaps for anyone who didn't have them. So, the Lekgetho brothers started showering.
"And the funny part is that once they felt the warm water on their skin, they refused to leave the shower [laughs]."
Rate the coach's team talk:
"Augusto Palacios was the best. He is a great motivator. Each time he spoke, you instantly felt psyched up for the game."