The day Pelewe Delamogo landed in South Africa, he was greeted by a nation in jovial mood after Phil Masinga had scored the goal that took Bafana Bafana to their first World Cup in 1998.
This was August 16, 1997.
Delamogo came to South Africa after having spent time with Zambian club Power Dynamos after switching from TP Mazembe, where he played while doing his tertiary.
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"Ahead of the 1996 AFCON finals here in South Africa, the Zambian authorities were contemplating getting to switch my citizenship because they needed goalkeepers.
"I was eligible because I had not played for Congo DR and had kept nine clean sheets after returning from an injury that kept me out for a year," discloses Delamogo.
So, upon his arrival, Qwa-Qwa Stars became his club and in his first season played 29 games, yet he then strangely left for AmaZulu FC, where he was relegated twice in the five years he spent there.
"I'm sure you are asking yourself why I left Stars after doing so well in my first season.
"My issue was with the coach that the club brought in (Peter Nyama), who was obsessed with the use of muti.
"I had never used muti all my life, so it became an issue between me and Mr Peter Nyama and I ended up demanding my clearance from the club.
"The club didn't want to release me, so I opened a case with the PSL and only got my clearance after that.
"I was earning R5000 and had never used muti in my life, so that was my issue.
"This is when I then went to AmaZulu, where I earned R9000 and was able to save them from relegation in the last 12 games.
"After my time (five years) at AmaZulu, I went to Asia but got an injury, which led to my decision to retire even though I trained with Manning Rangers.
"With football done and having used my brain with the little I was getting, I ran a big Congolese restaurant that sat 42 people, but it didn't go well in the end.
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"With the brain that I have, if I had played in recent years then I would have done massive things.
"Since then, I have been with the development at AmaZulu and now have my own goalkeeping academy here in Durban that has European people interested," explains the 53-year-old.