We were neighbours but never spoke, Tso Vilakazi & Nengomasha on Chiefs-Pirates rivalry
Benedict ‘Tso’ Vilakazi and Tinashe Nengomasha lived in the same complex in Naturena at the height of their careers.
Vilakazi, lovingly known as ‘The Little Napoleon’, was the heartbeat of Orlando Pirates’ attack while ‘The General’ was Kaizer Chiefs’ chief destroyer.
The two understood their assignments for their PSL teams. They equally understood the rivalry’s seriousness and the demands on them by fans of the two Soweto giants.
Soweto Derby clashes were not ‘child’s play’. They were battle royale and had to be treated as such.
It also meant the two could see each other in the parking lot and not say a word. That’s how intense the clashes between the two sides were.
THINGS HAVE CHANGED
“I suppose things have changed now, but the rivalry was intense during our days. I remember how Tso Vilakazi and I would meet in the car park at the complex where we were staying.
“We would not even greet each other. He would go about his business, and I would do the same. There was no friendship, he was a Pirates player, and I was a Chiefs player,” Nengomasha told FARPost.
Current players of the two Soweto giants have been slammed for taking the derby casually.
“I feel the derby is slightly different now in terms of the intensity of the rivalry. I can’t point out what has changed, but it doesn’t look the same,” he added.
Vilakazi, who played for Pirates between 1999 and 2007, corroborates Nengomasha’s story.
“That’s how it was; we’d never speak, especially ahead of the derby. It was intense during our time,” Vilakazi recalls.
KARIAKOO DERBY
Interestingly, the Kariakoo Derby between Simba and Yanga in Tanzania still carries the same elements.
Simba star midfielder Clatous Chama once told FARPost that going to the shops after losing a derby clash was almost impossible.
“If we had lost the derby, I wouldn’t be sitting here with you,” he told FARPost journalists after a 1-1 draw derby tie.
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