In this edition of Locker Room Secrets, former goalkeeper Bafana Nhlapo takes us back to the Mpumalanga Black Aces change room during the days of the legendary Jacob Sakala.
What was the atmosphere like in that Aces change room?
"It was fun, nice, and entertaining. I played alongside many experienced players. We had the likes of Essau Mtsweni and Denis Masina among others. How could I forget our coach, Jacob Sakala? We used to call him 'Mphathi' [laughs]."
Who was always late?
"We had a guy named Siyabonga Nontshinga from the Eastern Cape. He was always late, and nobody really knew why. He was quite reserved and liked having his own space. He had some business that I don't really know much about."
Were there any interesting rituals before games?
"The Ghanaian, Edwin Gyimah, was always up to something. Each time we had a game in Mbombela, he would take some grass from the pitch back to the hotel where we were camped. We would ask him what that was for, and he would respond, 'Hey you, you don't know nothing.' That would make me nervous, thinking he might be bewitching us with some Ghanaian muti."
Who was the jokester?
"That would be me. Most of the guys found me at Aces when they joined, as I was the eldest player in the team. Themba Zwane was always next to me because of my jokes."
Was it a muti change room?
"Aces was a praying team, even though Sakala preferred to do his own thing on the side. But other than that, we were always taken to church."
Who was the singer?
"That would be me and Essau Mtsweni. We would mix church songs with football songs, and even Collins Mbesuma ended up joining in."
Who was the best- and worst-dressed?
"The best-dressed were Essau Mtsweni and Abia Nale. Mtsweni was always dressed in Kurt Geiger - he was on another level. Nale was always neat with his shirts tucked in. The worst-dressed was Denis Masina, who wore baggy pants like an American."
Who never showered?
"We all showered. The only guy we never saw taking a shower was Eddie Ngalo. He always wrapped himself in a towel during shower time [laughs]. When he took off his underpants, he made sure to do it while still inside the towel, just like women usually do inside a petticoat. I don't know what he was hiding [laughs]."
How good was coach Sakala during team talks?
"Mphathi was more of a motivator than a coach. He would walk into the change room and say, 'Hey madoda, why are you playing like grannies today? Are you scared of these people? I'm not scared. Let's go out there and just kill them!' He was also one of the team's biggest jokers."