In this edition of Secret To Success, KickOff discovers how former Bafana Bafana midfielder Teboho Mokoena walked straight from playing obhuqwini to the Witbank Aces' first team.
Mokoena reveals how his connection to former AmaZayoni star Adam "Vula Vala" Mabena helped him get to the top.
"Mavula [Mabena] knew me from Ekasi; we are all from Thokoza, he was playing professionally, and I was still playing obhuqwini; he saw me on a Sunday playing for one of the local amateur teams and told me to come to his place on Tuesday carrying my soccer boots," Mokoena tells KickOff.
"Come Tuesday, I took my soccer boots and went straight to his place. To my surprise, a Witbank Aces kombi arrived, and we were now leaving for Witbank. It's 1996.
"First-day training with them, I was impressed. Aces had the likes of Thembinkosi Biyela, Joseph Sibiya, Tebogo Maphaleng, Percy Nxumalo, and Stambo. The funny thing is I didn't even know who they were. I just saw normal guys. Jean-Paul Bang Penda, I was his favorite.
"I dribbled a whole lot of them at training that day, not knowing these were the club's big stars [laughs].
"After training, Veli Mahlangu said to me, 'Hee msana [boy]! Yizapha! come here!'
"Still confused, I asked those next to me, 'Guys, what is a msana0 now?' instead of replying, everybody said, 'Yeey maan, the chairman is calling you!'
"I went up to the chairman; he was so scary looking, Veli Mahlangu.
"Veli said to me, ' Yee man, who brought you here?' I told him it was Mabena. And he continued, 'Tell our driver to bring you here again tomorrow, we want to sign you.'
"To me, it only sank in on match day that I was now in professional football; I was given tracksuits, kit, soccer boots, and everything you can think of.
"So that's how I got to the top, through Adam Mabena."