There are some insights into how the great Bra Stanley “Screamer” Tshabalala put together his first Bafana Bafana squad.
Bra Screamer is TKZee member Tokolo’s father, by the way.
Just in case you don’t know who TKZee are, google “TKZee Benni Shibobo”, pump the volume up and imagine hearing this song in South Africa as Bafana headed for their first Fifa World Cup!
Benni McCarthy went on to score SA’s first ever goal at a World Cup - beating Peter Schmeichel with a shibobo nogal- in a 1-1 draw with Denmark.
We’ve got to tell the kids these stories, folks.
The kids need to know that the two other goals scored by Bafana at France ’98 were scored by another Capetonian, Shaun Bartlett - a brace in the 2-2 draw with Saudi Arabia. These are facts.
So when I heard Bra Screamer talking about how he put the strike force together, it was no surprise to see the names of ouens vannie Kaap on that list.
Even back then, Cape Town was where you could find the regte goalscoring talent.
Tshabalala tells all in “Sitting With Bra Stan”, the first episode of a YouTube Orlando Pirates documentary series, with the former Bafana coach telling stories of yesteryear alongside Cape striker Mark Williams, Doctor Khumalo, Edward Motale and Teboho Moloi.
Screamer inherited the team from first Bafana head coach Jeff Butler and included some stars such as Williams and Doctor, among others.
But the first Cape Town hero in the setup was Duncan Crowie, who joined up with Williams, and the other two strikers were Fani Madida and Philemon Masinga.
LOCAL LEGEND: Duncan Crowie
Crowie recalls: “I was the only Capetonian selected in the first squad under Jeff Butler.
“My wife reminded me of how we found out about my selection.
“When we started to hear that segregation in sport was going to be abolished, I gave up my coaching position at Santos because I wanted to concentrate on my game and make it into that first national team.
“So in 1992, when we still stayed in Strandfontein, we often drove along the beach, just my wife and I.
“As usual, there were fishermen who were taking their fishing nets out of the water at the beach, so I thought to stop and help them out.
“Back then, when you helped the guys, you’d get a fish or two from them.
“My wife stayed in the car and I was helping the fishermen.
“My wife called me frantically to the car and I ran straight to her and she told me that the South African team was just announced and your name was called on the radio.
“When I got home, the phone calls started.
“My wife wrote down all the messages, there was more than 2 000 people called the house to congratulate me.
“That was my dream all along, to make that squad and I made it.”
With the squad named, Crowie and his teammates went on a nationwide roadshow, playing invitational sides in Durban, the Mother City and the old Soccer City in Johannesburg.
Crowie adds in an interview with the Daily Voice: “We played a few friendlies and I still scored two goals against Jomo Cosmos.
“I still remember we were 1-0 down and Jeff Buttler called me to go on from the bench and I scored those two goals.
“We played other select teams from around the country.
“We even played a game against a Select XI up in Joburg, it was more like the rest of South Africa if you will because it had top players like [Malawian] Ernest Chirwali, although he wasn’t South African, he was the captain. Terry Paine was their head coach.
“We played against the Natal XI at Chatsworth Stadium and the Western Cape XI here at Athlone Stadium in the rain. I played against my own teammate, Edries Burton.”
Bafana Bafana played their first-ever match at Kings Park Stadium in Durban and won the game 1-0 courtesy of a Doctor Khumalo penalty and then they came to Cape Town for the second game.
In the doccie, Williams explains how in the Cape Town match he was told he would start next to Masinga and then was told at half-time that he had to make way for Crowie because the Cape crowd demanded it.
Crowie explains: “I didn’t play in that very first game but I got an opportunity in the second game.
“That match was played at the Goodwood Showgrounds, there where GrandWest is now.
“Athlone Stadium was too small. I still have photos here of fans carrying cards with my name on it, that was fantastic to see.”
DREAMS: Burton and Crowie, right
Former Bafana captain Neil Tovey famously wore the number 9 jersey for club and country in the years he played in the national team, but Crowie was handed the number 9 jersey at first.
He says: “I had tickets and I invited my wife and the one boy, but he was still too young, I also invited my parents. I was given the number 9 jersey.
“It was packed and the crowd was shouting my name when we were asked to go and warm up.
“The coach had no option but to put me on. He called me over and said ‘come fan-favourite, go on’.
“It was fantastic, I was 30 years old, you can’t imagine playing for your country at that age, never mind making a debut for your country.
“It happened to me in front of thousands of people from my home city.
“We sacrificed so much to be in this game, so to end up reaching your goals is amazing.
“You must remember we played in apartheid and our football was separated.
“I played in Sacos [South African Council of Sport] and Federation football and we were a multi-racial league.
“I had opportunities to go and play for other top teams around the country, but I decided not to do it because we were against our football being separated.”