How Siviwe Mpengesi breathed life into Augustine Kwem’s career
AmaZulu FC striker Augustine Kwem has revealed how Siviwe Mpengesi breathed life into his career at a time when it seemed to be moving backwards.
Augustine Kwem joined Chippa United in July 2019 as an unheralded striker whose career was enduring a rocky start.
The 26-year-old had played in the third-tier of SA football, the ABC Motsepe League, for Polokwane City Rovers, Mthatha Bucks, and Sibanye.
But that was after a one-year spell in the books of Beitar Jerusalem of Israel in their Under-21 ranks.
Kwem decided to follow his own path away from The Holy Land, packing his bags for South Africa.
For a moment, the decision seemed like a step backwards as he struggled to get a breakthrough into the DStv Premiership.
FORMER CHIPPA UNITED MAN KWEM: ‘To be honest, I was not sure about it’
Little did he know that he was following a biblical star that was leading him to a place where he would steadily rise to stardom.
“Clinton Larsen spotted me. He is the one who first saw my abilities and qualities to fit in the top league [DStv Premiership]. I was at a difficult point where you don’t know what next step to take,” Kwem told FARPost.
“You know, it’s not easy to break into South Africa [as a foreigner], but I took that bold step to come here [South Africa]. To be honest, I was not sure about it.
“So when coach Larsen saw me at Sibanye, and approached me, I was relieved that finally my breakthrough had arrived.
“But just after he had finalised my move to Chippa, he was fired, and all that hope suddenly disappeared. It was at that point that I felt like it was over. I was not far from quitting.
“First because, he is the only one that knew what I really had to offer Chippa United. No one else knew because I had not played for even a single minute. Just imagine.”
THE CHANCE THAT KWEM NEEDED TO PROVE HIS WORTH
Kwem added:” But I was surprised that when the new coach [Norman Mapeza] came in, the chairman himself stood by me and backed me to get game time and prove worth. He took a gamble.
“It is because of him that coach Mapeza developed confidence in me precisely because I didn’t have a track record.
“He gave me my debut, and I managed to score my first goal as we were playing against Cape Town City FC. That was in July 2019.
“You know, before joining Chippa, I had been reading and hearing a lot of stories. But how the Mr Mpengesi gave me hope really changed my mind at that very moment.”
The Nigerian became one of coach Mapeza’s key men when he was in charge of the Eastern Cape-based side.
Kwem’s marriage with Chippa United, however, did not end well after the club was slapped with a FIFA transfer ban for failure to pay his signing-on fee.
He moved to TS Galaxy, where a long injury lay-off kept him on the sidelines for half of the 2021/22 season. AmaZulu FC then acquired his services in July 2022.
The AmaZulu FC striker is fifth on the goal charts with six league goals. He is four goals behind Mamelodi Sundowns Lucas Ribeiro Costa.
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