Golden oldie relives glory days

As promised, we will keep on bringing you our township’s golden oldies.

This week, we would like to share with you about the country’s first female soccer genius, Gloria Hlalele.

South Africa’s female soccer pioneer, Gloria “Sweet 16” Hlalele was recently honoured by Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula during the Inaugural Women in Sports Awards held in Johannesburg recently.

The once darling of South African soccer fans, Hlalele started playing football with boys in the then dusty streets of Tembisa in the early 1980s.

It did not take long before she was spotted by the owner of Tembisa Pubs, the late Abraham Tsheola.

“When I joined the team, I was playing with older boys who used to intimidate me with their strong physical presence, but I worked hard and later fitted into the team like a glove,” she said.

She added that after a year in the team, Tsheola started the very first female team in Tembisa.

“I was over the moon and I was selected as the trainer and captain of the team. I was later recruited by Soweto ladies where I played alongside players like Sibongile Khumalo, Fikile Sithole and Patricia Kgaratsi,” she said.

The team was invited to play against the female national team of Swaziland.

“We beat them 12-0 and I scored seven goals,” she said.

Soweto ladies was also invited to participate in a tournament in Switzerland, where they played against some of the best European teams, including the then invincible USA squad.

“We won all the games, but our highlight was when we beat the USA 4-0 in the finals. After the finals, I was interviewed by the CNA and was also recruited by a Switzerland-based team, but my agent was too greedy and the deal never materialised,” she said.

Hlalele has won more than 100 medals, but thieves broke into her house recently and stole nearly all the medals she won over the years.

“I was very devastated when I realised that they have taken the medals I won through hard work over the years. It still pains when I think about those medals,” she said.

When asked what she intends to do in the future, she said she would like to form a football academy in the not too distance future.

“In fact, I am just finalising preparations concerning a sponsorship and other football related issues. As a Tembisan, I want to utilise my experience by helping up-and-coming football stars,” she concluded.