Pirates legend sees bright side of life

Motale has accepted the role that comes with being a popular footballer and says it doesn’t bother him anymore.

“After a game in Durban while I was at Pirates, a young boy asked me to come and speak to him,” Motale recalled. “He asked to shake his hand and told me his father ws a big fan of mine. After shaking my hand he ran, and from that moment I understood I had a big task ahead. I thought I had changed something in that boy’s life, just by shaking his hand. I knew there was a lot I had to do for the community and that my presence meant a lot to people.”

Motale works with Sonke Gender Justice as one of their speakers, visiting institutions in communities to educate men and young boys about domestic violence and gender stereotypes.

Along with his work in the community Motale has ventured into stand-up comedy and continues to appear in television advertisements. His first stand-up act was at the Kick of Comedy. The 52-year-old, known as a joker by his former team-mates, says he is an honest person who tells the truth with a sense of humour.

Motale would like to continue doing stand-up comedy and tying it into his community work.

“I would like to go to supporters’ branches around the country, with the help of clubs, to speak to men and women about violence, our roles in the families and for us to restore respect and peace in our communities, I enjoy stand-up comedy, the reception I got was good and I plan on doing more of it. I want to continue doing advertisements and photo-shoots, as I did while I was playing football.”

The Mamelodi-born defender questioned the level of camaraderie in local clubs which he believes is affected by gadgets that footballers are seen sporting before the game. This point was raised by Libyan coach Adel Amrouche before his side drew 0-0 with Bafana Bafana at the Moses Mabhida Stadium last weekend.

“All these headphones and music devices were around in our day, Shoes and Doctor had them. But when we got to the bus we discussed the game, we talked about our opponents and their weaknesses … Helman (Mkhalele) would say, ‘look at this guy, he is slow on the left, try and beat him for pace, there is no need to dribble him’.

“Our players don’t do that, their egos won’t allow it. They don’t use their discretion, they keep looking at the bench. We trusted each other and communication got us a Caf star at Pirates.”
He went on to say: “We have been boxed as ex-players, if you can’t coach, then there is nothing for you. Not all of us can coach, some of us want to talk, others just need to be there to share their experiences with the players.

“We were not without our mistakes, but we rectified it and never lost sight of our goal.”

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