Program Director, Your worship executive mayor of Mogale City, Advocate Lentswe Mokgatle, MEC of sport in Gauteng, Honorable Mondli Gungubele, our inductee and guest of honor, Mr. Patric,k Ace Ntsoelengue and his family, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. I am humbled by the honor bestowed on me to make a few remarks here this evening on the eve of the induction of Ace into the American Hall of Fame.

First and foremost let me congratulate Ace on behalf of Kaizer Chiefs as you know we come a long way with this man, an achiever that has gone beyond the borders of then apartheid South Africa, despising the social injustices of the time to go on and become one of the most celebrated footballers this country has ever produced.

I am tempted to sort of want to relate a little bit about how I personally came to know Ace and all those things I know of him which made him such a unique footballer. Ace, a player who through his skills and rare vision of the game, contributed immensely towards what we see today as a successful hierarchy of soccer, and a top sporting brand in Africa, Kaizer Chiefs.

Before I indulge about all that my memory can bring back about Ace, a word of gratitude goes to you councilor Advocate Mokgatle for what we are experiencing here this evening. This endorses the notion that people who have contributed in nation building should be acknowledged while still alive. “The deepest human need is the need to be appreciated” William James.

During the early years of Kaizer Chiefs, the club was defined through highly skillful players, players of note, players with style flair and purpose, who exceeded the on-field expectations and went on to fine tune what was commonly known as dress and fashion trends. Chiefs were known more as the ‘Glamour boys of Phefeni’ then, because of trends we set and values we composed. Such was a player of Ace’s caliber and yet again there were times when the cult of personality actually mattered most in everything he did and all the games he played.

In every game we played Ace oozed confidence and because of his personality he was a highly respectable player, fearsome but not dangerous, unpredictable but yet simple and made the game look easy.

I have learnt over the years that people that are involved in the game of football differ. There are those who get their kicks out developing people-Maetros of Talent Acquisition & Development. There are those who are Visionaries-Inspirers. And there are, also, those Consummate Football Orators, who get their feet to do very fine talking. That’s the group where Ace belonged. His boots did the talking and singing while officials and spectators alike sang back choruses of approval in unison.

Ace scored goals and I have vivid memories of goals he scored, very awkward goals not very ordinary. He might not have been the top goal scorer in the league at the time you watched him, but he surely made others score brilliant goals. You see, the point is, the symphony conductor is likely to be a good musician, but not world class. Often the best deans were not the top professors. One thing for sure all these powerful figures leave remarkable legacies behind. This is the reason why the Americans, today felt an obligation to honor Ace Ntsoelengue.

When Ace left for America we all had some kind of feeling that he was destined for greater heights. Indeed, the footprints he left behind there are so, visible that, everyone wants to emulate him. He did not let his country down, particularly the black race.

One powerful American business man Tom Peters says: "The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it".

We thank Ace for aiming high and developing guts to reach for his goals and that only was inspiring to his colleagues and peers left behind here when he flew to America.

To Ace I’d say go on and revolutionise the world. Leaders are people with an interesting past, they forget, they make mistakes, they build and they destroy, they hang with freaks, they groove on weird things sometimes. The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get the old ones out.

My advice to you is simple: Get rid of the old thoughts as you look forward to a noble responsibility with the Mogale City. We also congratulate you on your appointment into the sports trust of the West Rand, in particular, Mogale City. See the world through the eyes of the child and tell yourself you are the best person in it.

Have fun, and do what you used to do-laugh a lot because people who are comfortable with themselves, laugh a lot.

Once more CONGRATULATIONS!

I thank you.