Mgidi used hand to spite Birds

A QUICK cross from a teammate found the short and slightly-built striker in an awkward position to score. Realising the ball would roll past him, the striker glanced at the far corner of the field to see if the linesman was watching, then, with lightning speed, intercepted the ball with his left hand and scored with his right foot.

This was just one of the many tricks of veteran soccer star Blessing “Killer” Mgidi, one of South Africa’s top strikers who could have starred in our national team.

The former Moroka Swallows and Orlando Pirates man played in the 1960s and 1970s. After years of denials, Mgidi last week admitted to using his hand when his new club, Buccaneers, beat their traditional rivals – and his former club, The Birds – in one of the many games played at Orlando Stadium.

Mgidi, who hasn’t changed much from his playing days, said he used his hand to spite Swallows after The Dube Birds pushed him from their nest.

Wearing a white and black Pirates tracksuit top from the 1970s, Mgidi spoke fondly about the game he loved.

“Yes, I had a grudge against Swallows because of the way in which I was discarded after being so loyal for six years. My heart and soul belonged to the team until they treated me badly. I was very angry and wanted to show them that I still had a lot of soccer in me. To achieve this, I was prepared to use every trick in the book to help Pirates beat Swallows,” said the soft-spoken Mgidi in an interview at his Meadowlands, Soweto, home.

The sitting room of his modern house is adorned with pictures of the former star from the time when he played for an amateur Waschbank team, to Swallows, then Pirates. After leaving Swallows, Mgidi did not immediately join Pirates because, as he puts it, “I was still furious and disorientated”.

When he eventually joined Pirates, contributing immensely to Swallows’ defeat was always at the back of his mind.

His move to Pirates cost R250.

Born in Waschbank in KwaZulu-Natal in 1948, Mgidi’s talent was first spotted at primary school when he played informal soccer with a tennis ball with the other pupils.

When he moved with his parents to Soweto, Mgidi’s love for soccer increased at Sekano-Ntoane High School where he met former Swallows’ star, the late Daniel “Swing Carlie” Masike in 1962. “School soccer was popular then with all eight Soweto high schools contesting the championships in the township at the time,” said Mgidi.

While playing against other schools, Mgidi met other players who later became his teammates at Swallows. “I remember meeting Juda “Bel-Air” Duiker who played for Orlando High School,” said Mgidi. Other schools include George Khoza High in Dobsonville, Musi High in Pimville, Orlando West High, and Meadowlands High.

“The popularity of our school team saw us play Swallows in 1966, and we became the first school in Soweto to play against a professional team and that’s when Swallows spotted me,” said Mgidi.

He recalled forming a deadly combination with Moss “Mosenthal” Maseko, German “Cutter” Kunene, John “Special” Makhubo, Irvin “Pepe” Dire and John “Buick” Makwati, who later joined Kaizer Chiefs.

Mgidi said Bantu Callies from Pretoria were difficult to beat when he joined Pirates, but found the match against the very team a walk in the park while he was with Swallows. Callies had Lucas “Master Pieces” Moripe, who was known as “Modimo wa Bolo” (god of soccer) by supporters.

“Swallows used to walk over Callies but when I joined Pirates, it was a different story. Master Pieces Moripe was giving us trouble with his rare dribbling skills,” said Mgidi.

He said that leaving one big team for the other was a move he would always cherish.

“It was not easy then to jump from one big team to the other. While I enjoyed my stay at Swallows, it was at Pirates where I learned more because the two teams have different tactics,” said Mgidi.

He spent five years at Pirates, and Mgidi helped The Ghost to acquire silverware. He scored 80 goals for Swallows in 1970 and continued to do the same for Pirates, although he scored fewer goals. “I had many amazing moments in my career,” said Mgidi.

At Pirates, Mgidi always gave the opposition a hard time – especially when he was with Elias “Shuffle” Mokopane, McDonald “Rhee” Skosana and Matsilele “Trouble Maker” Sono.

A nagging foot injury forced Mgidi to retire when he was in his late 20s. It was also at the time when Pirates had just bought new players from defunct Pimville United Brothers.

Although Mgidi’s son Aubrey, 38, initially tried to follow in his father’s footsteps, his studies in medicine demanded more of his time and focus. The young Mgidi is a qualified medical doctor and works at a public hospital on the West Rand.