DEAR Editor,-
Liberation icon Nelson Mandela and the late Raymond ‘Rhabe’ Khusi, arguably Gcilima’s greatest footballer, must be smiling from their graves.
Our beloved rural village of Gcilima now boasts a modern stadium, which competes with some of the finest stadia ever built on the South Coast.
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The Jabavu Sports Stadium (named after late councillor Derrick Jabavu Shusha in honour of his immense contribution to the community) was officially handed over to the people of Gcilima last Friday by the provincial Department of Arts, Culture, Sport and Recreation. It is a well-deserved stadium for a community which has a rich history of the ‘beautiful game’.
Before getting into how much Gcilima loves football, it is worth mentioning that in the early or mid-1990s (around ’94, if memory serves me) Madiba visited Gcilima.
His army chopper landed at the stadium, then called Thokothe Sports Ground, to address the multitude of locals who had come to see the statesman in person.
Two decades later, the Madiba Magic may have contributed to us getting this beautiful stadium for the beautiful game.
Gcilima is something of a ‘Football University’. The village has produced some of the finest and most skilled soccer stars. Late soccer genius Rhabe is synonymous with football greatness. The attacking midfielder was something of a ‘god of football’ who bamboozled his opponents with his wizardry. He waltzed past them as if they were in a trance en route to scoring one of his many signature goals, which defined his illustrious soccer career! His prowess as a footballer was unmatched and when he was in motion it was like the ball was glued to his left foot. Fans would go ballistic and chant his name ‘Rhaaabeee!’
Mind you, his soccer exploits were on some of the roughest surfaces or grounds as Gcilima never had a proper stadium. Rhabe must be smiling from his grave because the current and future Rhabes have a ‘state-of-the-art’ stadium to use. It’s a pity that a footballer of Rhabe’s stature never had an opportunity to ply his trade at a professional level or overseas, for his skill was in the league of soccer greats such as Lionel Messi and Ronaldo.
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Hopefully player scouts will frequent the Jabavu Sport Stadium to see local talent in action and possibly snatch them. Gcilima is a ‘University of Football’ whose graduates deserve to compete
against the best of the best in the country – and the world.
Other great players who must also be smiling from their graves include Mgqashiyo Ntsebesha, Nene Nansi Ngcungama, Nkanyiso Shabane, Makhonethi Mqadi, Scebi Shusha, Mthunzi Ntsebesha, Samkelo Ngcungama and many others. Our village has produced highly competitive teams such as Gcilima Aces, Peacemakers and Crab, amongst others.
In closing, the public and private sectors must see to it that football in Gcilima is used as a critical community development tool. Sponsor football and sponsor tournaments.
CEDRIC MBOYISA
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