Tributes pour in for the late Alex soccer ‘expert’
ALEXANDRA –He was both a brother and father figure to me, says Maisha Molepo.
Tributes are pouring in for the late Alex football stalwart Alfred ‘Ngoti’ Mathibe who was also the best friend of Premier Soccer League and Orlando Pirates chairperson Dr Irvin ‘Iron Duke’ Khoza in their youthful days in Alexandra.
Mathibe died on 5 January at Edenvale General Hospital aged 78.
Bra Ngoti, as he was better known in football and social circles of the iconic township, was also known for his expert passes while playing for City United FC which was a breakaway from Gunners FC.
At the time of his death, Alex-born Bra Ngoti, who’s nickname means ‘expert’ due to his articulate passes as a number 5 of City in the early 1950s up to the ’60s, was a member of the Disciplinary Committee of the Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association.
Paying his respects, the president of the Alex Northrand LFA, Maisha Molepo, who is also a deputy president of Safa Joburg Region, described Bra Ngoti as both a brother and father figure to him.
“He has always been on my side since I was elected to the helm of Alex Northrand LFA in 2011. He was like a brother and father figure to me as he took me by the hand and guided me on how to navigate the complex matters of football administration.
“His passing is not just a great loss to me as an individual but to the entire LFA and football fraternity in the country, and will be remembered for his skills on the pitch and his articulate administrative attributes as a member of our DC [Disciplinary Committee],” Molepo said.
He appealed to other Alex football veterans to come forward to fill voids left in the DC by the passing of Bra Ngoti and Sam Ledwaba.
Former referee and later president of the Alex Northrand LFA, Simon ‘Mbazo’ Selepe said he first met Bra Ngoti when he performed his first refereeing stint of a match which was later abandoned.
“He will be remembered for his excellent soccer skills that earned him the nickname Ngoti and as one of the most disciplined footballers of the time, who only played for City since their breakaway from Gunners,” Selepe said.
Rangers FC chairperson John Mnisi, whose younger brother, Motsamai, was a best friend of Bra Ngoti along with Khoza (of the Premier Soccer League and Orlando Pirates) described him as a ‘hard tackler’ in the game and a political activist by night.
A then younger and aspiring football player Aubrey Sechoaro, who is the founding chairperson of the Alexandra Football Coaches Association, said Bra Ngoti was a role model for him. “I and some friends used to envy his style of play and we would boast that one day we will be like him on the pitch.
“He was also a member of the Brotherhood Social Club that sought to groom young boys to manhood and was loved by everybody,” said Sechoaro, who was part of the boys being groomed.
