Milimo Nalumango’s South African roots behind Zambia switch

Orlando Pirates defender Milimo Nalumango’s decision to represent South Africa rather than Zambia is rooted in a family history spanning both countries and several generations, his father has revealed.

Dr David Tebogo Nalumango told the Siya crew that his son, now part of Raymond Mdaka’s South Africa Under-20 squad, was born and raised in Johannesburg and is a fifth-generation South African, despite previously playing for Zambia at youth level.

Nalumango’s father, a medical doctor practising in Johannesburg, said the family’s South African connection began with his late mother, who was born in Kimberley.

“Milimo’s grandmother, my late mother, was South African-born in Kimberley, here in South Africa. Her maiden name was Mokgosi,” he said.

“She met my late father while they were studying. She was training to become a nurse, while my late father was training to become a medical doctor in Durban.”

His father was Zambian, while his mother joined the ANC in 1963 and went into exile in Zambia that year. Dr Nalumango was born there in 1964, attended school in Zambia and completed his secondary education in Botswana before returning to South Africa in 1994.

“I still had my South African citizenship because of my mother being South African,” he said.

He married a Zambian woman in 1993, and the couple had Milimo in Johannesburg in 2007. Although his mother was not yet a South African citizen at the time, Milimo grew up in South Africa and completed his schooling there.

His football development began when he was four at Brazilian Soccer Schools in Johannesburg. Nick Aresti and his wife helped develop him from the age of three before the academy became SuperSport Soccer Schools. Nalumango later joined the Under-13 GDL team and captained the SuperSport Academy GDL side.

At 15, when he was being considered for the Under-17 GDL team, the death of one of his siblings led the family to send him to Spain and then Germany to continue his education and football.

It was in Germany that Zambia became involved. His father said the national team initially made contact because of the surname Nalumango.

“Because of my surname being Zambian, the Zambian national team asked, ‘Who is this boy?’” he said.

After learning that Milimo’s mother was Zambian when he was born, officials concluded he could play for Zambia. She became a South African citizen in 2008, a year after his birth.

Milimo represented Zambia at the Under-17 AFCON in Algeria, appearing against Nigeria, South Africa and Morocco. He later played for the Zambian Under-20 team at 17, travelling throughout on a South African passport.

“He was playing for Zambia but travelling on a South African passport,” Dr Nalumango said. “He had to explain, ‘No, because my mom was Zambian when I was born, so apparently I was allowed to play.’”

After moving to the UK last year on a football academy sponsorship, Milimo continued his studies and played for semi-professional club Plymouth Parkway.

South Africa’s first Under-20 camp provided the opportunity for a return. Mdaka initially invited him for the final two days before selecting him for the next camp.

“He fitted in like a glove because he met all the kids he grew up with, most of the kids from SuperSport,” his father said.

Dr Nalumango said the family’s South African lineage includes his great-grandmother Mrs Mokgosi, his mother and himself. The only uncertainty, he added, concerns his great-great-grandmother, Johanna Mokgosi, described as a German woman who settled in South Africa.