Former midfielder Madoda 'RDP' Nkosi reveals to KickOff that he nearly lost both of his legs to witchcraft after being bewitched by his former teammates at Bush Bucks.
Nkosi explained that he had to cut short his newly signed two-year deal with Umtata Bucks that season in order to save his football career.
"I signed for two years, but I never even finished a season, I ran away in Mthatha, to be honest, in the middle of the season," Nkosi tells KickOff.
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"Even today, I still respect muti because of what happened to me at Umtata Bucks. I'm speaking from experience."
He recalled, "I was not part of the 18-man squad that traveled to FNB Stadium for the 1993 Coca-Cola Cup Final because I was sick. Both my feet were in terrible condition. Some of my teammates at Umtata Bucks were definitely responsible."
Nkosi shared, "I remember my first day there; it was in the morning, and they were training. As soon as I arrived, my new teammates began speaking in IsiXhosa, assuming I didn't understand the language. One of them said to the others, 'Hey mfondini, here's this boy from Gauteng, tell me whose position he thinks he's going to take here?' They burst out laughing.
"I wanted to respond, but Mayoyo quickly stopped me, advising me not to take anything to heart, not realizing they were not joking. On my first day of training, I lost one of my training sock. I only realized it was missing in the afternoon when we returned for the second training session," he added.
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"Within a week, both my feet began to swell badly and peel between the toes, producing a terrible smell. Every time I tried to put on my soccer boots, my feet would hurt and swell. Strangely, whenever I wore sneakers, I didn't have these problems.
"The club's chairman became impatient with me, saying, 'Tim, we can't keep paying you every month if you are not contributing to the team, mfondini. You're not even training, all you do is stay in the clubhouse.' So, I decided the best course of action was to return home and give myself a proper chance to heal. That's exactly what I did, I healed and became fit again. I was then signed by Kenny Ndlazi and Yster Khomane at Mahwelereng Rovers, and that's where my journey began."