Orlando Pirates' Patrick Maswanganyi and Kaizer Chiefs' Glody Lilepo fight for the ball during their Betway Premiership match at the FNB Stadium.
Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers
The alcohol flowed at Endaweni Tshisanyama in New Brighton, Gqeberha, as Orlando Pirates made it rain goals in the Soweto Derby against Kaizer Chiefs. However, I got the distinct impression the owner must be an Amakhosi fan.
I have come to know it as a South African ‘tradition’ that watering holes owned by followers of the Buccaneers dish out free beers to celebrate victories over their arch-rivals. While it was said to be a uniquely Orlando practice, it has clearly spread across the country.
I, for one, saw it happen way back in 1990 at home in Lebowakgomo, when Rod “The General” Anley toyed with Chiefs as Pirates smashed them 5-1. The ‘old lady’ who owned the shebeen in my neighbourhood — originally from Soweto — was so delighted by the result that she put out a crate of Carling Black Label at no cost to the revellers. Such stories are heard all over.
A group of us visiting the "Windy City" for Sunday’s Absa RUN YOUR CITY GQEBERHA 10K decided to go for a Kasi experience, and we loved it. Well, I did. The "Khosi Nation" members among us, suffering through a 3-0 defeat, were less enamoured.
The "Ghost" who gathered at Endaweni on Saturday afternoon were not lucky enough to enjoy free drinks as per tradition. But that did not dampen their spirits as they celebrated the victory that saw the Buccaneers avoid a "hat-trick" of defeats. Most reached into their pockets to fill their ice buckets with an assortment of bottled beverages, delighted that their team remained in the hunt for the Betway Premiership title following that stumble against champions Mamelodi Sundowns last week.
“It is game on now,” some of the Bucs faithful declared at the final whistle, excited that their team remains in the title chase.
Typically, the losers were hunting for excuses — the Chiefs fans pointing the finger of blame at the bench. “There’s no leadership at Chiefs. These guys are not coaches,” one said in reference to the stand-in co-coaching duo of Cedric Kaze and Ben Youssef Khalil, to which another added, “Chiefs need a real coach.”
They are going to have to wait until next season; the powers that be at Taung Village in Naturena have made it clear they will keep faith with the current technical team until the end of this campaign at least. It is a decision Chiefs may well kick themselves for, as Kaze and Khalil look increasingly out of their depth leading one of the country’s biggest clubs.
On the other hand, Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou will have silenced those who were beginning to doubt him following back-to-back losses against Sundowns and lower-division outfit Casric Stars. They say a derby win buys you at least a month of peace.
This emphatic win on his Soweto Derby debut will do far more than that for the Moroccan, who has already delivered two trophies (three if you include the Carling All-Stars win). Oswin Appollis netting in his first Soweto Derby was also a feather in the cap for the "Ghost" favourite, who has become a bona fide star in his maiden season.
It was a pity the owner of Endaweni Tshisanyama did not make as favourable an impression as the two debutants, failing to honour the tradition of offering free "cold ones" on such a memorable afternoon.
Not that the fans were complaining; they stayed long after the final whistle, drinking the evening away in celebration. At least the owner — probably a Chiefs fan — did not close the place down early.