“It is always a great feeling to give back to the communities,” said Kaizer Chiefs legend Arthur Zwane. The Amakhosi Legends beat their archrival, Orlando Pirates by an odd goal scored by Zwane in the 75th minutes of the match. “We honour these kind of invitations to show appreciation and in turn bring the smiles in the communities. Soccer has always played the role of community building in South Africa,” said Zwane. “We touch lives wherever we play and to see such a big crowd attending the match is heartening.”

The match was played as part of the Nkandla Municipality Cup and was watched by an enthusiastic crowd on a chilly Saturday (11 June) at Nkandla Stadium. Leading the proceedings and watching the Legends was Nkandla Mayor Mr Ntuli. “This is part of our development programme,” reflected Ntuli. “Bringing the two power houses of SA soccer goes to show how serious we are in terms of youth development in Nkandla. We trust that through these kind of events the youth will aspire to become great in their areas of involvement. We would like to thank the two clubs for honouring our invitation and hopefully this relationship will grow going forward.”

It all began on Friday when the two teams made a stopover in Ulundi much to the delight of the community - some clad in the colours of the two teams. The teams were hosted by Ulundi Mayor Mrs Manana who welcomed the teams to Ulundi. The welcoming took place at the TZ Phakhamani Park where a large crowd gathered to meet and greet their favourite yesteryear stars.

On Saturday, at Nkandla Stadium, the chilly weather didn’t deter the two teams to dish out a spectacular match resonant with the traditional Soweto Derby. The match started at a fast pace with the Buccaneers dominating the early exchanges. Steve Lekoelea, Dumisa Ngobe and Joseph Makhanya proved to be a handful in the middle of the park. The trio dictated terms and ran riot in the Chiefs territory. But James Mothibe and Naughty Mokoena’s efforts at goal were met by Brian Baloyi. Baloyi proved once more why he was Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana No 1 during his heydays.

With the Buccaneers squandering the opportunity to take the lead in the first half, the Amakhosi recovered at halftime. The message from the dressing room was clear from the resumption. Keep the shape and don’t allow them much space in the heart of the pitch. The Amakhosi introduced Tsepo Molatedi, Gerald Sibeko and Ace Khuse to stabilise the midfield and to allow Doctor Khumalo to spread the passes to the speedy winger Arthur Zwane and lone striker Mcdonald Mukansi.

Facing defeat, the Buccaneers attempted to bolster their attack by bringing on Eugene Zwane and Thapelo Liau which was a little too late as the Amakhosi had gained momentum. The goal was a halftime team talk script, fullback Nhlanhla Khubeka overlapping run in the right flank resulting in a cross field pass to the left. Arthur Zwane received the cross and left the pair of Mandla Zwane and Innocent Chikoya sprawling on the ground. Zwane calmly scored from an awkward angle to beat William Okpara, goal 1 – 0 to Amakhosi. The last minutes of the match was an exhibition of skill and flair orchestrated by Khuse and Khumalo bringing the crowds to their feet.

At the end of the day, the people of Nkandla witnessed and appreciated a beautiful game of soccer, an ardent Amakhosi supporter and jubilant Skhumbuzo Khumalo from Nkandla Ward 7 said, “I am happy to watch my favourite team in my backyard. I always travel a distance to watch Chiefs play but today brought back the memories of the glory days of the Amakhosi.”

The line-ups:

Kaizer Chiefs Legends: B Baloyi (G), N Kubheka, G Seale, D Spencer, W Manyathi, F Makua, A Zwane, S Nkosi, M Mukansi, D Khumalo, A Shongwe

Subs: D Khuse, G Sibeko, T Molatedi, H Mloane, F McCarthy

Orlando Pirates Legends: W Okpara (G), A Netshodwe, M Zwane, R Zondi, I Chikoya, D Ngobe, N Mokoena, J Makhanya, J Mothibi, S Lekoelea, J Ngake

Subs: T Liau, E Zwane, S Gwabeni, T Moloi, P Tsotetsi, Bruce Ramokadi