Qedusizi Dlamini walked into AmaZulu as a young man in the early 80s. His modest role was to provide security to the team. Of course, before that, he was an ordinary fan of the team.
In essence, Dlamini – one of the oldest personalities in the AmaZulu set-up – has seen and tasted the brighter days of Usuthu.
The man has witnessed four finals involving the Durban outfit, and Saturday’s clash with Orlando Pirates will be his fifth.
He describes it as emotional as it evokes memories of the previous four finals.
A BIT EMOTIONAL FOR DLAMINI
“This is a bit emotional for me. This is the first final as part of management. As you know, I am a team manager now.
“So, all the previous finals I have witnessed at AmaZulu, I was just an outsider within the club,” Dlamini said.
Dlamini rose through the ranks, eventually elevated to manager by the Sokhela family, who sold the club to the current owner Sandile Zungu.
“This one is significant to me. We are in a final for the first time, and I am part of the management. The club also celebrates 90 years. It makes one look back to the past and reflect on the journey,” Dlamini added.
Interestingly, while the younger generation of the club’s followers can only imagine how it feels to celebrate cup triumph, he remembers the 1992 victory.
It may have happened three decades ago, but he vividly remembers it. Perhaps what makes it unforgettable is that three of the four finals he witnessed ended in heartbreak. But that doesn’t matter, as he is convinced they will lift the MTN8 on Saturday.
AMAZULU’S FOUR FINALS
“My first final was in 1987 in the Mainstay Cup, I was a security guy of the club, and we lost that one by 1-0. The second one was the Bob Save in 1990 at Kings Park Stadium, which we also lost by 1-0.
“It was a late goal. I was also still security at that time. The third final was in 1992, the Coca-Cola Cup at Soccer City against Kaizer Chiefs.
“We were camping with The Sharks [rugby team] as they were preparing for the Currie Cup. We were playing against Kaizer Chiefs.
“Clive said if they use Ace Khuse and Chippa Mlateti at the same time, he will beat them, and we did exactly that. We won that cup.”
“The last final was against Bidvest Wits in the Nedbank cup in 2010. This was the first match at the new Soccer City. We played well until the last 5 minutes, where we lost by 3-0.” He is convinced the MTN8 final marks the start of a new era for the Zulu tribe.
“So reaching this MTN8 final is an extraordinary one for us. We play at home, and the whole Zulu tribe celebrates the new era. The club’s new owners are also enjoying the results of their hard work, and we are hoping to become champions.”
THE ZUNGU NEW ERA
His confidence stems from the direction the club has taken under the leadership of Zungu. Usuthu have evolved from a perennial relegation contender to compete with South Africa’s top teams.
Dlamini says the previous owners faced so many challenges that affected the club. He believes if the club had someone like Zungu from the 80s, AmaZulu would be among the best teams in Africa.
“I think if AmaZulu had such leaders in the past, we would be talking a different story about the club. If you look at our previous matches playing against Soweto giants, we always had a 70% fanbase.
“So the difference from now to the past is the Sokhela family tried to commercialise the club and did exceptionally well, even though results were not coming.
“We had administrative issues and with leaders of our football, deduction of points and many off-field other problems beyond them.
“Then the Zungu family came in and managed to balance things, business and football-wise. They have a solid vision, and if we had someone like President Sandile Zungu in the past, Usuthu would be sitting among the top teams in Africa. We had a huge supporting base back then.”
THE STATE OF KZN FOOTBALL
With his experience in football, from watching as a supporter to now being part of management, he feels KZN is moving in the right direction in reviving its power in the game.
The only challenge is the lack of unity compared to Gauteng teams. Despite those challenges, he predicts four teams to finish in the top eight from the province this season.
“Football is slowly returning to KZN, we used to have six teams, and we need to work together, unite.
“Because in Gauteng, they help each other to ensure no team suffers. They even share players to save one another. If we can do that, we can conquer, and this season, KZN will have four teams in the top eight. Do not get shocked if all KZN teams are in the top five; wait and see.”
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