He would like one day to see the club being revered in Alex and the country.
“I have ambitions and a desire to develop this team into a football giant that will be revered in Alexandra and outside,” he said. “I would like to see it one day being mentioned in the same league as other giants of South African football such as Pirates, Chiefs and Sundowns,” said Dlamini in an interview after handing out year-end medals to the club’s players.
For the team to be great and be in the same league as other giants, Dlamini said the starting point was introducing professionalism to all aspects of the team’s activities, from the boardroom to on the field.
“It is this professionalism and special attentions that should be paid to the juniors of the team that will see us climb the football ladder of success. “We should not tolerate age cheating and always teach our players to be disciplined and honest in all they do, on and off the field,” Dlamini emphasised.
He described the juniors as the mainstay of the club as they continue to feed into it and ensure the club was sustainable. “Yes, as we grow we might ultimately acquire the financial clout to buy name players, but we also need to strengthen the development side of our team if we are to achieve the consistency that we desire.”
Speaking of how he became involved in the club, he said he had bumped into club coach Theo Hlongwane. As they spoke about the club and football, it peaked his interest, and he realised there was something he could do to give back to the Alex community that made him what he was today.
Dlamini was then introduced to the chairperson of the club, Themba Ngema who shared his vision and love for the beautiful game with the businessman. Ngema also spoke of his own personal financial sacrifices that he had made for the club. “At some point things were beginning to get out of hand in the household as I was taking away their last pennies for the development of these young boys,” said Ngema.
He said the new sponsorship would ease the financial burden of the club. “I hope I will also be able to get a lot of some peaceful sleep from now on.”
