In this edition of My Muti Story, we are speaking with former Bush Bucks star Mongezi Malashe, who recounts a tale of how two muti men from Eswatini deceived the club's bosses into believing that kissing a dead bird's beak would make them invincible.
Who and where?
"At Bush Bucks, muti was a significant aspect. I recall the day the club brought two gentlemen to our changing room, dressed like the legendary Mbaqanga music group, the Soul Brothers.
"We were informed that they were from Eswatini, and we were playing against Bloemfontein Celtic that day. From their bag, they produced a dead bird's beak, and we were instructed to kiss it.
"I remember one of them saying to me, 'Utshandze umuthi nawo uzakutshandza' (If you love muti well enough, muti will also reciprocate). My response was, 'Yes, I do love muti very much' (laughs).
"After that, we were made to consume various substances, and I couldn't even identify what they were."
Why were you doing it?
"It was supposed to make us invincible against our opponents. We were expected to soar above our adversaries."
What did you have to do?
"You kiss the beak, consume whatever muti they took from their bag, say 'I love you muti,' and then head straight to the pitch."
Did everyone take part?
"Some chose not to participate, and we assumed it was because they had their own muti. You know what they say about muti—you can't use two different mutis from two different muti men."
What stood out?
"Losing by such a large margin even after going through all the muti trouble.
"Sometimes we used to doubt if muti worked. I still remember the day a certain muti man came to our clubhouse to steam us.
"Just because I was from the rural areas, it was assumed I was used to steaming. I was asked, 'So why are you complaining because you are from the rural area? This should be bread and butter to you.'"
What was the result?
"We lost 4-0. The dead bird's beak did not help us. We loved the muti, but it couldn't reciprocate (laughs).
"After losing that match, their explanation was that we lost because some of our teammates didn't follow the instructions.
"Dan Pasiya (club official) was complaining, 'Imali yami ihambile' (my money is gone)."