James Chamanga is that canonical good man who thinks generationally. He has not just prepared for his children’s future but also the generation after his own offspring, as prescribed in the Holy Book he loves so much.
The popular bible scripture that seemingly drives the man is Proverbs 13:22, and it reads, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children…”
When a then 21-year-old Chamanga broke into the first team of Makumbi Stars, and started earning a first division meagre salary, the first thing he thought of was purchasing a piece of land in the outskirts of Zambia’s capital, Lusaka.
While his peers were pondering going for the latest car to match up their star status, his heart and mind were set on this one thing that didn’t make sense to many. He just wanted a piece of land.
The go-getter that he is, he would not wait for the second salary. He immediately got into an arrangement to buy the land and pay in instalments.
“I went for a piece of land, I wasn’t earning a lot to pay for it outrightly, so I made an arrangement to pay for it in instalments,” he tells FARPost from his Lusaka base.
For almost 7 years, Chamanga was clearing that debt and ‘fulfillingly’ so. “I only finished it off when I came to South Africa [in 2006],” he says. Over two decades later, as his glittering career that has also taken him to far-flung China, approaches the twilight, that piece of land is now giving back to him.
Understandably, the fruits of his vision have drawn acclaim from an opponent – Lusaka Dynamos’ defender-cum-midfielder Zimiseleni Moyo.
CHAMANGA DRIVES A SIMPLE CAR
“He’s been an inspiration to many of us; he has invested in property and has a block of apartments he rents out,” Moyo says in admiration.
Although he would not get into details about the worth of his investments, Chamanga made it clear that upcoming generations of his family “are sorted”.
“I’ve invested quite well so that my children will still be able to live comfortably when I stop playing football,” he adds.
Moyo, who continues to draw spur from him, says even today, after amassing so much wealth, particularly in China’s football League, Chamanga still drives a simple car.
“Even today, he drives a simple Corolla, but I’m sure he can afford a bigger and more expensive car,” Moyo adds.
The former SuperSport United and Moroka Swallows forward loves sharing the knowledge he’s acquired regarding land. His philosophy, developed as he continued to grow in the game, was never to get bank loans beyond the duration of his contracts.
“I always advise youngsters and say don’t just buy a car when you’ve been given a signing-on fee because five years down the line you may not have that job,” Chamanga puts it plainly.
Listening to him talk, you’d easily mistake him for a clergyman who commands a flock of followers that pays regular tithes to him.
But no, a tither himself, as confirmed by his close ally Isaac Chansa, the Zambian forward is simply a man who understands and has applied ‘divine principles’ in an incredible, lengthy football career. And when the ex-Orlando Pirates star Chansa, Moyo and many others share the impact his spiritual walk has had in their lives, you then understand the man has always been on a mission from day one.
CHANSA SHARES LESSONS LEARNT FROM HIS FORMER CHIPOLOPOLO TEAMMATE
“I shared a room with James in national team camps for 10 years, and the one thing I learnt from him is putting God first in everything,” says former PSL midfielder Chansa.
The man nicknamed Djemba Djemba recalls when he went through a rough patch. SuperSport were on the verge of loaning him out to Maritzburg United. But, injured as he was, he was adamant he wanted to go to a bigger team, a demand Matsatsantsa eventually acceded to as they sold him to Moroka Swallows.
“I was still injured when I went to Swallows. I didn’t understand that injury. It was painful, and for 3 months I couldn’t touch the ball. So, I had to fast for 7 days,” he recalls.
Straight after the fast, injury healed, he was thrown into the fray against Kaizer Chiefs, and he registered his first goal for The Beautiful Birds. He went on to win the Golden Boot Award at the end of that season after banging in 14 goals.
Chansa stresses: “Fasting and prayer has always been a part of his life, I remember doing it with him a couple of times.”
In fact, Chamanga says if he happens to go seven games without scoring, he takes time to seek his God through fasting, sometimes for as long as 21 days.
THE RECORD-BREAKING FIVE GOALS IN A GAME FOR MOROKA SWALLOWS
“I don’t turn to God as a second option. I reaffirm my faith to God,” says Chamanga, who scored a record-breaking five goals for the Dube Birds in a 6–2 League win against Platinum Stars on 9 December 2007. Interestingly, for 17 years, the fastest hat-trick in South African football remained the five minutes it took Chamanga to score from the 20th minute to the 25th minute for Swallows in that game.
That record has since been matched by Iqraam Rayners, who also scored five goals during Stellenbosch FC’s 5-0 win against Polokwane City FC in April 2024.
At the ripe age of 45, former Baroka FC coach Wedson Nyirenda, the man who discovered him about three decades ago, describes his ageing prodigy as a rarity in a brutally physical sport that often forces players 10 years younger than he is – or more – to find a new profession.
“I’ve always known him to be a focused man,” says Nyirenda, adding that at some point, he had given up on the game after being told he was not good enough.
The retired Red Arrows forward took the Zambia Premier League by storm when he returned from a decade-long stint in East Asia, where he turned out for China’s top-flight sides Dalian Shide FC and Liaoning FC in 2019.
The ageless former Chipolopolo striker had to come out of retirement. On 6 July 2018, Liaoning announced that he would no longer play for the team, but he would assume the role of technical director.
However, he surprisingly bounced back in his homeland at the end of March 2019 after the airforce side Red Arrows warily handed him a 3-month deal.
CHAMANGA ON THE IMPORTANCE OF DIET
A year down the line, he was the first Zambian to win the Golden Boot award since 2015, when Winston Kalengo won it. The soft-spoken star, who has just retired after 25 seasons in professional football, scored 16 goals for Arrows in that season. He showed no signs of tiring either, subsequently penning contract extensions that have kept him at the club until 2025.
Former Zambia National Team coach Beston Chambeshi says at his age, it is surprising that he is still eager to learn. “He still approaches training with the passion and enthusiasm of a young player,” says Chambeshi.
The 2012 AFCON winner previously stressed the importance of “maintaining a good weight at my age” and having “some good recovery programs”. He is aware that strength typically tops out around age 35 and then starts to decline—slowly.
“At my age, your muscles aren’t that active. I need more training in the gym. I must also know that my recovery is longer than that of young players,” Chamanga says, adding that he goes to the gym twice a week.
Luckily, he has his beautiful and supportive wife to ensure he gets a good diet, something he singles out as a big boost throughout his career.
“I never eat takeaways; I prefer food cooked by my wife at home. She understands what kind of food I need at any given point,” adds Chamanga. “Football is my work; it’s my bread and butter. I must take good care of the body that plays the game.”
CHAMANGA EXPLAINS WHAT ALCOHOL DOES TO A FOOTBALLER
Interestingly, Chamanga claims he has never sipped anything alcoholic in the last 25 years.
“I’ve never consumed alcohol since the time I started playing football [professionally],” he claims. The veteran striker will not even touch a glass of wine during the season.
He has a scientific explanation for his decision. “Alcohol causes the excretion of water from bodies, which means that when you drink you can easily get dehydrated. Because exercise can also dehydrate you, the combination may reduce your performance level. You may also have symptoms of dehydration, like dry mouth, fast heartbeat or feeling dizzy,” he says.
In each of his seasons in Zambia, South Africa, and China, he has always played over 25 games, something he attributes to staying fit.
Born in Luanshya, a town with a population of about 150,000 in the Copperbelt Province near Ndola, Chamanga had to move to the capital, Lusaka, after his mother passed on in 1993, when he was just 13 years old.
As he hangs his boots, the good man can enjoy his game without any pressure, knowing future generations are sorted.
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