Usuka kude neBafana unogada wethawula lamabhinca

EMINYAKENI engu-25 edlule, insizwa yaseNhlazatshe, eMahlabathini, uMduduzi Mbatha, yathola umsebenzi wokuba ngunogada weqembu lesizwe, iBafana Bafana.

Le nsizwa iqashwa kulo msebenzi nje, yayivele ingumqaphi emikhakheni ehlukene ngaphansi kwePremier Soccer League (PSL) nasezikwatini ezincane zeSouth African Football Association (Safa).

Muva nje uMbatha (63), ubehambe neBafana ebuye nendondo yethusi kwi-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) e-Ivory Coast.

Kwabebelandela iBafana kusuka kweyamaqoqo eKorhogo, kwaze kwaba ilala isithathu ngokunqoba ngamaphenathi kwiDemocratic Republic of Congo (DRC) e-Abidjan, baliqaphelile ithawula eselidume ngokuthi elamabhinca kuleli.

Bekuthi njalo uma iBafana iphuma ebhasini ngengoma kubonakale insizwa igaxe ithawula lamabhinca, kwesinye isikhathi libe semahlombe kakaputeni uRonwen Williams. Leli thawula selibizwa ngelenhlanhla ekhempini yeBafana. Kukhona abangafuni lisale uma kuyodlalwa.

UMbatha, osesebenze njengonogada weSafa iminyaka engaphezulu kwengu-30, ulumane indlebe noMthokozisi Mncuseni weSolezwe Ngempelasonto ngalo msebenzi wakhe omzungezisa umhlaba wonke uphinde umhlanganise nabadlali abahlonishwayo.

Uqale ukusebenza kwiSafa egada amaqembu abaneminyaka engaphansi kwengu-17 kwaze kwaba ukhushulelwa kwiBafana emuva kweNdebe yoMhlaba yaseKorea/Japan ngo-2002.

Amagama aphelele neminyaka?

Mduduzi Mbatha, oneminyaka engu-63.

Mingaki iminyaka usebenzela iBafana Bafana?

Icela kwengu-25 kwiBafana kodwa ingaphezulu uma uzohlanganisa nengiyisebenze ezikwatini ezincane ezahlukene zamaqembu esizwe.

Wawuthola kanjani lo msebenzi?

Ngangingumdlali webhola kodwa kuthe ngingalimala engozini yemoto ngase ngikhetha ukuqhubeka nokusebenza ebholeni kodwa njengonogada. Kusho ukuthi bengiwenza kahle umsebenzi emaligini aphansi eSafa, kwaze kwafika ezindlebeni zabaphathi bayo abebeholwa nguMolefi Olifant ngaleso sikhathi, ngaqashwa kanjalo.

Uke wasebenza emaqenjini ePSL?

Ngike ngasebenza ekugadeni imidlalo yePSL.

Waqala nini ukuphuma neBafana Bafana?

Noma ngingasawukhumbuli unyaka (2007) kodwa ngiyazi ukuthi sasiya eScotland, futhi ngeke ngikhohlwe ngoba ngangiqala ukuba sendizeni. Abantu bakwaZulu, njengami, liyabethusa ibhanoyi uma besaliqala. Ngajuluka ngaba manzi te kodwa kubanda qa ebhanoyini. Ngangihambe ngibambelela indlela yonke saze sayofika e-Europe. Ngeke ngilukhohlwe lolo suku ngoba lwangiphendula ihlaya kubantu bebala elimhlophe.

Yimuphi umqeqeshi weBafana okuphathe kahle kunabo bonke?

Akusekude kakhulu ukuthi uHugo Broos, ahlale eqhulwini kodwa okwamanje usazihambela yedwa uCarlos Alberto Parreira, waseBrazil. Ngasebenza kahle futhi nabaqeqeshi abahlanganisa oShakes Mashaba, Gordon Igesund, Pitso Mosimane yize lingishwebe kancane ithuba lokusebenza noClive Barker.

Yibaphi abadlali abafikele kuwena?

Cishe bonke abake badlalela iBafana kusukela ngo-2003, kuze kube manje. Kodwa uBenni McCarthy, nguyena obuyayo emqondweni ngoba ukhulele kimina eneconsi. Ngimfice kwiBafana kodwa ugcine esefana nengane yami. Kuhambe isikhathi wagcina esegotshwa yimina kuphela. Okungisizayo kulo msebenzi ukuthi abadlali ngibathathisa okwezingane zami.

Wawukhona kuxoshwa oNaughty Mokoena, noBrendan Augustine ekhempini yeBafana?

Angizange ngiye kuleyo Ndebe yoMhlaba ngenxa yezibalo zabantu okwakufanele bahambe neqembu kodwa ngase ngisebenza kwiSafa. Ngizishaya isifuba nokho ngokuthi into enjalo ayikaze yenzeke futhi ayisoze yenzeka, inqobo nje uma ngisewunogada weBafana. Ngiyazinika isikhathi ngibaluleke abafana ngoba abadlali bayafana nezingane. Bafuna ukwenza lokhu abakhuzwa kukhona. Kuyangisiza ukuthi bayanginika indawo yami kodwa lokhu kusuka endleleni mina engibathatha ngayo.

Ngabe iholo liyenelisa?

Akuwona umsebenzi weholo lo kepha ngiwubuka njengobizo nokufaka isandla ekulekeleleni izwe lami.

Ithawula lamabhinca?

Kugcine sekufanele ngilifihle ithawula lami kwesinye isikhathi njengoba bekuqhubeka i-Afcon ngoba wonke umuntu ubeselibiza ngelenhlanhla. Yebo, elenhlanhla kodwa angithakathi ngalo. Abanye abadlali bebengincenga ukuba ngibaboleke basule ngalo amakhokho abo ukuze kuzovuleka izinhlanhla zamagoli. Licishe langiveza ezweni njengomthakathi leli thawula lakithi.

Yini oyithanda ngalo msebenzi?

Ngaphandle kokuzungeza umhlaba wonke, kuwumsebenzi wami njengomzali ukuqinisekisa ukuphepha kwezingane zethu, ikakhulu uma zikhuphula igama lezwe lethu emhlabeni.

Nisondelene noHelman Mkhalele njengabakhaya?

Engingakutshela khona bhusende ukuthi iBafana isaya kude ngoba uma uBroos esebuyele eBelgium, uMkhalele uzowuqhuba ngempumelelo umsebenzi. Okwamanje usancela futhi kuyamsiza ukuba ngumuntu ophansi. Engikuqaphelayo ukuhloniphana phakathi kwakhe noBroos. Izingxoxo zethu zivamise ukuzungeza lapho.

Yimuphi umdlali ongasoze wamkhohlwa?

Baningi njengoba ngishilo kodwa kukhona engiba nobudlelwano nabo obuyisipesheli njengoBenni, nokaputeni wamanje uRonwen Williams. Besiphethene kahle nokaputeni abadlule kusukela kuLucas Radebe, Sibusiso Zuma no-Aaron Mokoena.

Yini ekwenze wahlala kangaka kulo msebenzi ekubeni abaholi beSafa beshintsha ngokuhamba kweminyaka?

Ngithanda ukusebenzisa leli thuba ukuthi ngibonge kwiSafa ngokungababukeli phansi abasebenzi bayo ngenxa yemfundo noma ukungabi nayo kwabo uma ibaqashile. Le nhlangano iyabahlonipha abasebenzi bayo kodwa ibafaka kakhulu ekhwapheni laba abawenza ngesinono umsebenzi abaqashelwe wona. Angiziboni ngisuka ngoba ngineme futhi ngizizwa ngingumqemane ukuthi ngisengaqhubeka. Ngidumile kwiSafa ngokuthi alufakwa kimina kodwa umsebenzi ngiwenza kuze kudlulele yingakho ngisho kushintsha ubuholi mina angishintshwa.

Izinsuku ezimbi nezinhle ezizukulwaneni zeqembu lesizwe?

Iqiniso elingenakuphikiswa ukuthi wonke amaqembu esizwe afikelwa izikhathi zenjabulo nezosizi. Nakithina yinto efanayo kodwa ngaphansi kukaBroos, sisazokhohlwa ngempela ukuthi sike sathwala kanzima. Imiqhudelwano elandelayo sizozifaka kuyona noma kanjani. Uyacupha uBroos futhi useqophelweni elingajwayelekile, ukuthi akazikhukhumezi.

Ubudlelwano bakho busobala noRonwen Williams

Ingifikisela ngezinyembezi indaba yobudlelwano bami nale ngane (Williams) ngoba angazi ukuthi yangikhetha ngani. Konke ekwenzayo ikudlulisa kimina ngisho kungafanele. Sizwana ngale ndlela yokuthi abanye abadlali baze babe nomona basibize ngobaba nendodana, sakusibhuqa.

Sitshele ngomndeni wakho?

Ukhona umama wasekhaya nabantwana, bayangitetemisa nngoba ngibuye nomkhuhlane e-Ivory Coast. Kade bengithethisa izolo ngokubeka izindondo zami zeBafana ezindaweni eziningi ezahlukene. Nginazo ziningi ukuthi angizazi ukuthi zikuphi lapha endlini.

Ngabe kukhona lapho kuke kwakushubela khona emsebenzini?

Kuyasiza ukuba ngumuntu webheshu ngoba ziningi izindawo lapho ngabe izinto zenzeka ngenye indlela ukube bengithambile ikakhulu emidlalweni yase-Afrika.

Ngabe likhona ithemba ngekusasa leBafana?

Njengoba ngishilo, kukhona okuphekwa nguBroos futhi kuzothi noma esehambile sisale nakho. Ikusasa leBafana liqhakazile kusuka manje kuya phambili.