Freddy Zungu celebrates 30 years with Masandawana

The year 2020 has been a massive year for Mamelodi Sundowns, the 50-year celebrations, La Decima title, treble winners and just as importantly, Masandawana celebrates Ntate Freddy Zungu, the kit manager who has been with Masandawana for thirty years. Ntate Zungu has seen it all during the years he has been with the Brazilians. He has seen players come and go, trophies coming in, through the good times and the bad times, he has been there.

Ntate Zungu smiles and chuckles when he talks about the time he joined Masandawana as he takes us to the moment he joined the Brazilians, “I was working as a caretaker and I spoke to Screamer (Tshabalala) and said that I am looking for a job and he said ok. Then Angelo and Natasha Tschiclas gave me a job and I never looked back. it has been the best time of my life and I could not have asked for a better club to work for.”

Masandawana have been blessed with some of the best players in the country and footballers are known to be a bit naughty and might cause a bit of commotion, Ntate Zungu had to deal with these players daily and he touched on how the likes of Sam “Ewie” Nkambule, Joel Masilela and the rest of that crew were so naughty in the dressing room and how he could not let them stand in his way of making sure that he does his job to perfection and that all the players were happy. He also said that the job of a kit manager is not as easy as it seems. “It is easy when one sees from far but it is not when you are actually doing it. It’s a heavy job where a lot has to be done on the day of the game especially big games and sometimes you end up forgetting stuff.”

“The funny thing is that I was a supporter of the club and working for it it was a dream come true for me, the way I love my job even when I am at home I am always thinking of what I am supposed to be doing at the club, that is how passionate I am about my job and the club.”

Ntate Zungu has seen a lot of coaches and he pinpoints that he has worked with a lot of coaches, he mentioned Coach Pitso Mosimane and the late master tactician Ted Dumitru, as some of the most successful coaches who have been with Masandawana. He has seen Coach Pitso from being a player with the Brazilians to being one of the most successful coaches at the club.

One fond event that took place in the field of play that he still recalls was the incident that happened at Rand Stadium where Russel “Romario” Molefe was hit by an apple which was thrown by a fan in a clash against Chiefs. “I still remember the coach was Clement Westerhof, Chiefs was leading and when Russel was hit by that apple the coach said that the players must come off the field and this was a big commotion and someone asked if it was Sundowns leading would the coach have let the players of Chiefs leave the field, it was crazy that day,” said Ntate Zungu.

“To be honest I am very happy and proud of what the team has done. I want the team to get better than what we are now and having Coach Pitso Mosimane at the helm we will achieve everything that we want to achieve. The President is also giving all the necessary support and making sure that the coach gets the players that he wants. Everything is perfect at the moment but it can only get better,” concluded Ntate Zungu.