Legendary Alexandra football saviour passes on
John Nkapu 'Hoola' Bahumi was not just a soccer player but a showmanship type of entertainer on the field of play, says former teammate John Mnisi.
Legendary Alexandra footballer and Rangers FC goal-poaching star John Nkapu Bahumi, who mesmerised fans with his ball skills at various soccer games in the township, has passed on.
Bahumi, popularly known as ‘Hoola’ in football circles which included the likes of the late Dr Leepile Taunyane and current Orlando Pirates and Premier Soccer League chairperson Dr Irvin ‘Iron Duke’ Khoza, was a thorn in the side of opposition defenders who often dreaded to mark him, in fear of his trickery ball skills.
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Paying tribute to Hoola, who passed on at the age of 71 on October 17 and was buried on October 26, was his teammate at Rangers John Mnisi, who described him as a player like no other in the history of football in Alexandra and the country.
“Hoola donned the famous number nine jersey, and the country and township have had no other number nine like him, which is often described nowadays as a jersey for an ‘inkomo’ [cow] striker who only waits for the ball to land on his feet and strike it home and dry.
“He was a typical inkomo striker who would not make a mistake on drilling the ball into the back of the net once it was passed to him. He had this cunning ability to evade oncoming defenders by swaying his body and feet in different directions to confuse opponents before unleashing a thunderbolt for the goals,” said Mnisi, who owned the club, but has since handed the reigns to new chairperson Musa Hlombe.
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While playing, Mnisi said Hoola would often call on him to pass the ball but, “I would argue and point out that he was tightly marked, but he would respond: ‘Just pass the ball and you will see’.
“Once I passed the ball to him, he would play his chicanery tricks and confuse the defender and bang the ball into the back. He would then say: ‘I told you there was no one marking me but a stooge’,” Mnisi said in his tribute to Hoola.
Some of the famous players Hoola played with included Simon ‘Mbazo’ Selepe, who is a former president of the Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association, and is now a member, and senior official, of the Alexandra Football Veterans.
“I remember Hoola bragging before one of our games that he would beat the opponents by five goals to nil, after which he would take their women. As predicted, he scored the five goals but as for their women, that was another story. Hoola was the saviour of football,” Mnisi said.
Mnisi remembered one incident in Middleburg where Hoola scored several goals against the opponents. He then, teasingly, took the ball to the keeper to ask him to just simply touch it, as he had not caught even one of his several strikes at goals.
Hoola’s antics on the field will be greatly missed by all that new him, and all that grew up listening to his legend.
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