Kaizer Chiefs legend Rudolf 'Gardner' Seale says the country has lost a student of the game in former Amakhosi stalwart Johannes 'Ryder' Mofokeng.
Amakhosi family are currently mourning the passing of their former captain, who passed away on 2 January 2021 at the age of 68.
Seale, who worked closely with Mofokeng during his football career, is saddened by the loss.
"I knew Ryder since I was a kid, he was a friend to my uncle. He would come to our house in White City nicely dressed driving a white Peugeot. A very admirable somebody," Seale tells snl24.com/kickoff.
"In 1985 I got to meet him personally when he retired from that Joe Frickleton team. You could see he wasn't made a skipper for 10 years for nothing. A very, very disciplined somebody.
View more images of Ryder Mokokeng in the gallery above
"He first coached me in development after retiring from the first-team. He made it happen for me in terms of playing professionally.
"He then came to the first-team as an assistant to Jeff Butler. So our relationship continued from there you see. At times I think he was very harsh on the guys that came from the development... myself, Doctor [Khumalo]... and at times he had a go at Fetsi [Molatedi] you understand.
"What I've learned from Ryder is, loyalty counts. He's been loyal to Kaizer Chiefs. Where have you seen a player being a captain for 10 years? I can only think of one player, Francesco Totti [Roma].
"I can compare Pitso [Mosimane], Jomo [Sono] and Ryder. You will never here Pitso or Jomo saying, 'I'm going to the movies.' In his spare time he would go to grassroots football in townships and watch amateur football."