OPINION: GEORGE MBWANDO
Sometime in 2003, I went for national duty with the Warriors. It was the same programme every time, Monday evening everyone should be in camp. I arrived at Cresta Lodge around 8 o’clock in the evening. As I was collecting my keys, I saw a guy seated on a chair some metres away from the reception, wearing a round hat, tumwe tuye tunopfekwa neboys repaJoza (those that are usually worn by South Africans). The guy was chewing a matchstick.
This was Signature because of his unequalled ability to dribble so well.
I didn’t know him. I had never met him. He was very quiet. He didn’t talk to anyone although there were a few players around him. He stood up and walked to the rooms with a limping step, step yeboys rekubhora (the nammer in which footballers walk). When he walked past me, he just looked at me and nodded his head towards me and I did the same.
The following day on our way to training, the guy was in the bus wearing his hat and a matchstick sticking out of the corner of his mouth. I remember asking Gidiza (Ronald Sibanda), who was sitting next to me, who that guy was and he said: “NguTshisa lo”, and started smiling and said nothing. He used to tie his shoelaces above his ankles.
In the national team training, it was a dog eat dog affair, you should mark your territory as early as possible, so I used to train with six iron studs. Many players knew that I never pulled my leg back in training, it was always hardcore. No one warned me about Tshisa. There was a small crowd cheering him every time he got the ball.
We were playing five versus five and I was playing against Tshisa’s team. He got the ball and I was already down going for a tackle and Tshisa stepped on the ball with his left foot, jumped up with his right foot and rolled the ball between my legs with his studs. I missed everything – the man and the ball. I remember seeing the ball rolling on in front of my face while I lay on the ground and I twisted my ankle in the process. Tshisa was already at the far post.
He got the ball again and this time I didn’t go down, I stayed on my feet, I wanted to get him the moment he stopped the ball. This time, he didn’t even stop the ball; he just rolled it between my legs with the studs and it was too late, he was already behind me. When I turned, he again rolled the ball between my legs. I have never seen a player who could dribble a ball like him.
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I remember Rahman Gumbo stopping play for a moment because he was laughing a lot, I looked at him and he said: “Ngu Tshisa lo.”
Johannes “Tshisa” Ngodzo
After training, he was wearing his hat again and matchstick sticking out of the corner of his mouth. I went into the bus and he looked at me smiling and softly said: “Sorry Bhudaz” (Sorry my brother) and I said that is how the game is played, no worries and we started speaking in isiNdebele. He was a very nice guy and humble, a rare talent, I was an instant Tshisa fan.
We played against Mali and it was fun. I even enjoyed watching him play. He danced with the ball. He had everything except speed, a street footballer. He was pure talent and he matched Seidou Keita in every way on that day.
Unfortunately, he stopped playing because of a knee injury. His name was Johannes Ngodzo, Tshisa.
Wherever you are, all the best. It was an honour playing with you, in your short career.
Crazy stuff!!
