An open letter to Andile Jali and Thulani Serero

Dear Andile and Thulani,

South Africa is a country blessed with an abundance of raw and natural talent but only a few manage to make it to the top and actually make an impact. And you boys are just two of the few lucky ones.

Some made it but somehow fame and fortune become too much for them to handle and they fell by the wayside. Today they wish they could turn back the hands of time but unfortunately it’s too late for them. You boys might be wondering why am I writing this letter to you, well let me not keep you guessing.

This season you managed to capture the imagination of the football community. You let us witness your God-given talent and are doing justice to it. We see you as the future and you give us hope that there are better things to come, that one day we are going to be able to compete and triumph over the best the world has to offer.

But what worries me is that you are not the first to show so much promise. We’ve had players who even the great Ronaldinho had nothing on them when it came to natural ball skills, we’ve had players that were earmarked as future Bafana captains. But where are they now? Some vanished into thin air because of their undesirable behaviour, some are now playing in amateur leagues and bragging about their good old days when they are in fact still under the age of 30.

Some have been offered a lifeline by good Samaritans but they will never again live up to the promise they once showed. They will be remembered as the ones who almost made it, but I’m sure that you boys know that doesn’t count. Do you boys want to go that route as well?

I’m sure that’s not what you want but what you boys should know is that football can be extremely cruel and your promising careers could end in the blink of an eye. Believe me I am not trying to scare you.

So in a nutshell this is what you should know: the game doesn’t owe you anything, you owe it a lot of respect for putting you where you are today, so serve the game with respect and it will reward you in abundance. Don’t let the people who call you iskhokho fool you, you are not yet the stars you could be so keep your heads and work hard. The fans that adore you today will destroy you tomorrow if you give them a raw deal. The likes of Lucas Radebe didn’t make it by chance, it took tons of discipline and determination, so learn from them and you will never go wrong. An odd Bafana call-up doesn’t mean you have made it either, it just means that there are better things to come if you keep on working hard.

We want to see you guys playing in the best leagues in the world, for the best teams. But talent alone won’t take you there, it takes more than that. Don’t let yourselves and the passionate South African football community down. Don’t deny the world a chance to see your great talent.

If you ever get frustrated like some of the players I know and decide to take the easy way out (going Awol), I will hunt you down with a sjambok and knobkerrie and send you running back to your clubs … I’m not joking!

Yours in football,

S Hlongwane