Kekana recalls fond moments with late Anele Ngcongca 

When you look at the current Mamelodi Sundowns squad, you look no further than Hlompho Kekana if you want a wealth of experience as the 35-year-old has been the club’s skipper for the past couple of years where Masandawana have enjoyed their most glorious spell.

READ: Mngqithi furious with WC province for denying Anele a provincial funeral

As experienced as he is, Kekana drew a lot from the late Anele Ngcongca’s experience and being at the twilight of his career, the midfield veteran says it is the likes of Keletso Makgalwa, Promise Mkhuma, and youngsters alike, who will feel the void of Ngcongca’s ultimately departure.

“He always wanted people to be happy around him, and I feel for the younger ones. Who is going to mentor them because I don’t have such experience to talk to the youngsters. He was good with kids, he would always welcome the academy boys,” Kekana said at Ngcongca’s funeral in Gugulethu on Thursday.

Kekana went on to describe how much of a soft spoken person Ngcongca was, detailing how they went about with their wordless communication from time-to-time.

“The man did not communicate much in words, he just pointed and you would understand what he was saying without him saying many words,” said Kekana.

“At times we would be in the same room and I wouldn’t say anything to him and he wouldn’t say anything to me, but we understand what we were saying, that was our language. He has got a warm face and a good smile, he was a very welcoming guy. He used to buy me hotdogs and at the airport he would always ask me, ‘are you okay today skipper’,” he added.

“You always wanted people to win and I cannot imagine life without you. As I always called you Anele Nconca, you corrected me with a smile and always said ‘khawume skipper, ayibizwa kanjalo isurname yam, uthixo uzakubetha,” Kekana recalled how Ngcongca would correct him whenever he butchered his surname, jokingly saying God would punish him for mispronouncing it.

“I asked him, who is thixo because I didn’t understand. But he would explain it to me that when he said thixo he meant God. He was a good believer and a soft spoken guy who never raised his voice and I have never seen a smart footballer like him,” said Kekana.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.