In this edition of My First Pay Cheque, KickOff catches up with former Orlando Pirates star Innocent Chikoya.
The Zimbabwean shares how his first salary in South Africa was spent within just a few days.
Which team did you sign for?
"I signed for African Wanderers. That first salary is one you never forget," [he laughs]. That was my very first team in South Africa back in 1995. I joined them from a Zimbabwean club called Fire Batteries, which is no longer around."
How did you celebrate?
"It's difficult to feel excited when you're playing in a foreign country. One moment, you hear a lot of stories about South Africa, and then suddenly, you're playing in that very same country. You find yourself facing teams you had only heard about while in Zimbabwe, [He chuckles] So I didn't even celebrate. I was staying in Hammarsdale with the late Charles Yohane."
How much was your first salary?
"R800. Considering the circumstances coming from Zimbabwe, I had a family to look after — my mom, my sister, and my brother were back home. I needed to send money home out of the R800 I was earning. There were also transportation costs to the gym, I needed clothes and groceries. So, you could say the R800 was either much or not much at all. My mother wasn't working, and my siblings were still in school."
What did you buy?
"I sent home R400 and kept R400 for myself, which I used to buy a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I couldn't even afford shoes. So my R400 was gone before the month ended.
"I eventually went to the supermarket and asked for transport money. I would go to their office and request R150. Sometimes, a winning bonus of R300 would save the day, but the thing is, those bonuses were scarce because we weren't winning many games [he laughs]."