Thabiso Malatsi still struggling to accept Michael Nkambule’s death

Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Thabiso Malatsi says he is still unable to believe that his former team-mate and friend, Michael Nkambule, is no longer alive.

Nkambule was buried in Daveyton last weekend, where members of the football community gathered to pay their respects to the former Amakhosi player. He died after suffering serious injuries in a car accident last month.

The accident happened as Nkambule was returning from a tournament held in honour of Joseph Molangoane. He had represented Ditlhake Masters FC at the event before being taken to hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Malatsi, who played alongside Nkambule and knew him away from football, recalled the role of Bennet ‘Mahlubi’ Mahlemakhulu in helping players from Daveyton find opportunities at professional clubs.

“I miss him a lot, I remember when he came to Chiefs, you know this man Bennet ‘Mahlubi’ Mahlemakhulu, he’s from Daveyton, he used to take us to Chiefs. He also took Pollen Ndlanya, the late Martin Zwane and a whole lot,” Malatsi told KickOff.

Mahlemakhulu worked as a kit manager at Kaizer Chiefs and was involved in helping players move into professional football. According to Malatsi, his influence extended beyond Amakhosi, with players also being taken to Orlando Pirates and Jomo Cosmos.

“He didn’t just take players to Chiefs, even to the likes of Pirates, Jomo Cosmos, but he was working at Chiefs as a kit manager. He (Nkambule) was very talented, I remember they nicknamed him ‘Little Skapie’ and he soon went to Manchester United and he was seen by scouts who took him to France.”

Nkambule was known as ‘Skapie’ during his playing career with Kaizer Chiefs. Malatsi also expressed his appreciation to Ditlhake Masters chairman Lebo Ditlhake for involving Nkambule in the club and helping restore a sense of dignity to players who had made important contributions to South African football.

Malatsi said Nkambule was among the founding members of Ditlhake Masters FC, alongside himself, Junior Khanye, Sipho Nunens and Manqoba Ngwenya.

“When we started Ditlhake Masters FC, he (Nkambule) was there with me, Junior Khanye, Sipho Nunens and Manqoba Ngwenya. He was a good guy who respected people, you would never hear that he disrespected someone. So humble,” Malatsi went on.

Nkambule was also given the nickname Zidane, a reflection of the regard in which he was held by those who knew him. Malatsi said the player’s death remained difficult to process and praised Ditlhake for supporting former footballers whose achievements had not always been recognised.

“They also called him Zidane, a very good guy, even now I still do not believe that he is no longer with us. But I want to thank Lebza (Chairman of Ditlhake Masters, Lebo Ditlhake), because at Ditlhake he took care of the guys who contributed a lot to South African football.

“People didn’t recognize us. He could have spent his money in other ways. People can even greet us now, because they had already buried us and even put in concrete. That’s why I want to thank him a lot,” Malatsi added.