Spurred on to succeed: Young talent become seasoned campaigners playing at Ikamva
Surely now Ernst Middendorp and everybody at Ikamva believe survival is a real possibility.
Cape Town Spurs got the win they needed against AmaZulu, giving their survival hopes a major boost.
The Urban Warriors won with a final score of 3-1 thanks to goals by Chumani Butsaka and a brace by Ashley Cupido.
This year was always going to be a defining year for the Warriors, who now sit six points away from Richards Bay who are in the playoff spot currently.
There’s obviously a lot going on there at Ikamva headquarters on Frans Conradie because of their currently very concerning situation in the league table.
The place remains special despite all the obvious challenges and shortcomings that came with the fall of the once exciting Ajax Cape Town.
Ikamva is still up there as a good springboard for young footballers.
The proof is there for all to see and read about.
Cupido, 22, arrived in Ikamva to join the U17 team from Grassy Park really raw and was even nicknamed “Gabuza” because of the amount of goals he used to miss.
A few years later, the hard-running striker is a lot more refined and finally showed the Premiership ouens what made him so instrumental to last season’s extra-long promotion season.
He walked away with the highest goal-scorer honours under the mentorship of a Cape legend that went on to become South Africa’s second-highest goalscorer of all time. None other than Shaun Bartlett.
It surely doesn’t get more scripted than that!
The two goals he scored this past weekend sure looked like it was a sigh of relief for the exciting talent, the confidence booster he needed after only hitting the net once before that game in this campaign.
It’s a really simple mission that the striker has got over the next few months now that he’s over the goalscoring hump; that’s to score because when he scores the team has a much better chance of winning.
Thank you to the ones who have never given up on us, that Victory is for YOU! 🙏![CDATA[]]>🏽![CDATA[]]>🛡️#OURFANS pic.twitter.com/paKn4m3A3k
— Cape Town Spurs FC (@CapeTownSpursFC) February 17, 2024
The proof is in last season’s promotion campaign in the NFD.
The game’s other goalscorer Butsaka has over 100 professional matches and four years as a professional footballer, with promotion achieved and a Cosafa Cup medal to boast and the country is only taking note of him now.
It was really interesting how he wasn’t a youth national team regular but he got his chance with the senior team eventually.
He has the battle scars of being made at Ikamva.
He’s obviously also been overlooked and underrated by the SA diski fraternity because of the city he comes from and the club he represents.
🚨NEW SIGNING ALERT 🚨
— Cape Town Spurs FC (@CapeTownSpursFC) February 19, 2024
East London born, Azola Jakalashe joins the Urban Warriors! 🛡️
Welcome to Cape Town Spurs, Azola! pic.twitter.com/fMCiYWdEvm
Most of his Gauteng-based peers got and still get more airtime and attention with fewer matches played at professional level.
Go ahead, google Mfundo Vilakazi and Chumani Butsaka and compare the media results you get. It’s shocking how obvious the bias is!
However, like a true Ikamva graduate, the Langa-raised creative midfielder has done his time at Spurs without any drama or controversy.
Thank you to the ones who have never given up on us, that Victory is for YOU! 🙏![CDATA[]]>🏽![CDATA[]]>🛡️#OURFANS pic.twitter.com/paKn4m3A3k
— Cape Town Spurs FC (@CapeTownSpursFC) February 17, 2024
At only 22 and a stable lifestyle of a young footballer, It’s inevitable that Butsaka will attract interest to a bigger club, we can only hope that it will be on good terms as the likes of Margeman.
It would be great if he can find a way to remain at Ikamva for at least another year if he can with a move secured and a handsome contract to afford a Vorsprung ride or similar!
He’s definitely ready to make the jump anywhere, and hopefully he can go where he will continue to get his 25-30 matches!
You see, that’s the beauty about being developed at Ikamva. You will play football matches and tournaments. That much is guaranteed for any top prospect there!
Your Captains - Our Captains - Cape Town’s Captains! 👨✈️👨✈️👨✈️👨✈️🛡️🛡️🛡️🛡️
— Cape Town Spurs FC (@CapeTownSpursFC) February 14, 2024
We present to you our Captain and Vice Captains for the second leg of the 2023/2024 PSL season.
Captain - Chumani Butsaka
Vice Captains - Rafiq De Goede, Keagan Buchanan and Jarrod Moroole!
💪![CDATA[]]>🏼![CDATA[]]>💪![CDATA[]]>🏼![CDATA[]]>💪![CDATA[]]>🏼![CDATA[]]>💪![CDATA[]]>🏼 pic.twitter.com/TYhpncdkm1
I’m no statistician, but I can safely claim that the average top 21-year-old out of Ikamva plays at least 100 first team matches!
If you count ABC Mostepe League, which is Safa’s highest division played provincially, then top young players there can easily clock close to 200-250 senior matches by the time they turn 21.
This past weekend, the world finally got to see yet another polished youngster from Ikamva.
Siviwe Nkwali, 18 years old, who follows in the footsteps of many top defenders shaped at Ikamva.
The likes of Keagan Johannes, who is now the captain of SuperSport United all went through it.
He was a skinny kid that had to play rightback to get his break, instead of his favoured centreback position.
He wasn’t the first neither, Thulani “Tyson” Hlantshwayo before him also had to start out wide as a right back before moving centrally as his career grew.
We all witnessed what Tyson became.
The list is pretty long, but I hope you get the picture of the calibre of talent-grooming that happens at Ikamva.
Even the goalscorer for AmaZulu, Aboubaker Mobara, transitioned via the rightback position before moving centrally.
Watch out South Africa! There’s more!
dailyvoice@inl.co.za