WeeklySA_AdminFLASHBACK: He tells of how his life changed for the worse the day he played for Durban Bush Bucks against the Soweto giants in a cup final, and going on to beat them…
By Masoja Cele
Victor “Jones” Twala was a towering figure in South African football, despite not being blessed with the skill of a wizard, albeit the former Orlando Pirates defender’s pace and tactical strength complemented his excellent work rate.
Soweto-born defender was one player who could fearlessly take down robust attacks, leaving opponents sprawling on the turf as he coolly passed the ball to his team mates, joined the Bucs from Soweto amateur team Senaoane Gunners.
“Yeah, I joined Pirates in 1984 from Gunners. I was recruited to the Bucs camp by Mr Zikalala, who was in the taxi industry and a friend of the late Pirates chairman Sipho “Sixty” Mali.
“Initially, I was courted by Kaizer Chiefs who had shown interest long before the Sea Robbers. Nevertheless, AmaKhosi were sluggish in their approach, while Mr Zikalala and Mr Mali made quick strides to snap my signature.
“Honestly, I was excited to land in the fold of one of the top teams in the country, as it was every youngster’s dream to play football at the highest level. Joining the Sea Robbers’ quantum boost to my football career,” explained Twala.
The erstwhile defender’s debut in the colours of the Buccaneers was against Witbank Black Aces in a league fixture at Orlando Stadium.
“That was a baptism of fire for me. I mean I was fresh from the amateur ranks and next I am in a Bucs team to play against Aces. Remember, AmaZiyoni were such a formidable team that stood its ground against any opposition in the country.
“They paraded quality players in Thomas “Junior” Ngobe, Steve “Disco” Makua , Peter “Fuduwa” Mokotedi, Nick “Bazooka” Seshweni, Harris “TV4”Choeu, to mention a few. These were not just ordinary players, but great individuals blessed with immense talent. Nonetheless, we beat Aces 2-0. I can’t recall who scored but I am tempted to think it was tMandla “Metroblitz” Sithole who bagged the second goal”.
Etched in his memory is also the derby against Kaizer Chiefs at the jam-packed Ellis Park Stadium during the 1984 Mainstay Cup Final.
“A determined Bucs team came out guns-blazing against the sworn enemy. We matched Chiefs pound for pound in all departments.
AmaKhosi were armed with the likes of the maestro Pule “Ace” Ntsoelongoe, Nelson “Teenage” Dladla, Jan “Malombo” Lichaba, Zebulon “Sputla” Nhlapho, Leornard “Wagga” Likoebo, to name a few. Much as we gave it all, we still lost 1-0 to Chiefs through a dubious penalty that came late in the game.
“Then, early 1987, Pirates loaned me to Durban Bush Bucks for a season. Reluctantly, I packed my bags and hit the road to Durban. At Bucks, I was warmly welcomed by stalwarts like Mark Tovey, Professor Ngubane, Sam “Happy Cow” Mnkhomo, Majuba Magwaza and many more.
“In the twist of events, I had to face Pirates in the 1987 JPS Cup final. This was a very energy-sapping final with both sides displaying quality football. During the first leg the Soweto Giants were untouchable taking a 3-1 lead to the second leg.
“And in the second stanza we scored two goals to level the matters to 3-3. Then Bucks won the replay 1-0 through Calvin “Jacko” Pietersen to clinch the coveted trophy.
“But, that win against the Bucs made my life miserable. Firstly, after the final whistle I was escorted out of the stadium by the police to the OR Tambo Airport. Secondly, my family called late at night notifying me about a strange car that had parked outside our yard for the duration of the night.
The information I had was that the mysterious car left my place at 3am the next morning. Personally, I want to believe that a section of Pirates supporters were not happy with my move to Durban,” added Twala.
The generation of your era were christened with meaningful monikers that suited the style of individual players and why were you dubbed “Jones”?
“Definitely, when I was still a student at Senaoane Junior Secondary School, I modelled my game around the defensive talent of the late Pirates defender Phil “Mr Jones” Setshedi and that’s how I got the nickname. But, I’m comfortable with the moniker as most people out there address me with that name,” boasted Twala.
