Sebele’s triumph and tragedy

FOOTBALL
Nicholas ‘Lele’ Sebele’s story is a classic one the world over, narrating from his story from his sick bed at his home in Morwa, one cannot help but realise that it sounds awfully familiar. It is the story of a celebrated sporting personality loved by the masses and at the end of it all his star is extinguished and quickly disappears from the stratosphere in a split second.

Tragedy, sorrow and sadness best describe Sebele’s current state. Sebele is the founding member of the Gaborone United (GU), one of the first people to play for the team. He is the first Motswana to acquire a high level coaching and refereeing certificate. His illustrious career also saw him becoming a sports administrator and a Botswana’s first referees’ instructor.

Today Sebele is sick, bedridden and in financial turmoil at his home in Morwa and most of the sporting fraternity including supporters and administrators seem to have forgotten him.

What short memories they have?
Speaking to BG Sports in an interview this week, Sebele said it all started in 1955 when he first played football at Morwa primary school where he first played football. Back then older workingmen played for the school teams and most of the time he played alongside older people. He would later attend Isang Secondary School where he continued playing football. “I went to Lobatse Teacher Training College, playing for Maletamotse at the same time,” he said.

In Lobatse Sebele said Willy Seboni, one of the founding members of GU, later approached him.  “He wanted me to play for GU but at the time I refused because I wanted to play for Maletamotse. I was also interested in playing for cross-town rivals Township Rollers. However, Rollers were not interested in me,” he said. Recalling how he was lured to play for GU, Sebele said Seboni took him shopping for clothes and other things and invited him to watch GU against Notwane only to discover that the clothes were GU kit.

“I watched the game from the technical aspect then in the second half I was asked to come into the game as teams could take players from anywhere at the time. That is how I got to play for GU,” he said. After joining GU, Sebele said the team went on an impressive winning streak because Seboni handpicked the best players. “We won the league every year because Seboni made players feel special.

The league was played in the north and the south, with the north region starting from Dibete and going up north,” he said, adding that their toughest opponents in the north was TAFA who played against them after winning the northern league. “It was a tough game played in Serowe in which we won 6-3 on penalties,” he said, adding that back then one player could be allowed to take all penalty kicks.

Sebele said his early success  as a footballer was due to hard work and not muti. “I used to run from Ramotswa where I was teaching to come and attend training at GU grounds in Gaborone. Back then the teams were run like family, we did it for passion and not financial gain. There were ladies like Gertrude Selolwane and Elizabeth Mapogo who supported the team that even their children would starve as they provided the teams with food. The same thing was happening at Rollers and Notwane.

Influential people like Archibald Mogwe and Daniel Kwelagobe supported the teams financially from their own pockets, there were no gatetakings at the time,” he said.

During his time at the national team, Sebele said, players were just picked randomly from local teams. “When we played the likes of Swaziland, players were picked from different teams and they would go and face other teams without even having time to camp and train together. However, there was communication in the team as players had faced each other several times while playing for their clubs.” He mentioned players like Zero Johnson and Morwalela ‘Pro’ Seema who played for Rollers at the time.

Sebele became a football coach at Gaborone Secondary School in the late 70’s. When he became a football administrator things started to change as laws were now enforced in local football. “Constitutions were developed and savvy people like Peter Mmusi and Kgosi Linchwe came into football administration. It was around the same time that the league was started,” he said.

Sebele’s knowledge of the game shows in his language when he speaks of the technical aspect of the game. He said there is nothing like the better defense than  attack, adding that the team always has to defend. “We have a saying in football that attack we may but defend we must,” he said.

A  rather philosophical Sebele said there was the difference between playing the ball and kicking the ball. “Anyone can kick the ball but in playing football there are principles that have to be met,” he said. Speaking of football development the CAF referees’ instructor said to discover talent in young children one only has to give the balls and see what happens.

“The problem with local football is that there is a rush for results and no focus in development,” he said. Sebele has also benefitted from training courses in countries like Germany and the United Kingdom during his time.  Speaking to the BG Sports this week, Botswana Football Association (BFA) development officer Philemon Makhwengwe, showered praises on Sebele and expressed frustration over his current state of affairs.

“He was one of the first people to play for GU and one of the first who qualified as both a referee and a coach,” he said. Makhwengwe said he and Sebele were very close having done coaching courses together between 1988 and 1992. A frustrated Makhwengwe said there were previously plans to build Sebele a house through a charity social football event but this did not come to pass.

Makhwengwe, who was clearly emotional on the matter, said he has done what he could do with his limited resources to help these fallen sports heroes. He also mentioned Tiza Sekgapahaneng, another football legend who has had his legs amputated. “People should not throw them away, it is not fair,” he said. Makhwengwe said Sebele was a great and talented football player and later excelled as a referee. “This has affected them psychologically.

Imagine people wanting to be associated with the likes of Dipsy Selolwane now and abandoning them when things go bad,” he said. Former BNSC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) said he has known Sebele since the 1970’s when he was a teacher trainee in Lobatse. “His name was ‘Alibaba special brand’. He played football with the likes of Wonder Tlape and Reuben ‘Ruu’ Mgadla.

He was well groomed even as a football player and he later became a leader outside the pitch,” Kitso Kemoen said. Sebele was the assistant coach in the national team at one point. “He also made his way up to be the Assistant Director of Sports at the Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture.

He was also active in football development along the likes of Sexton Kowa, Spokes Gaborone and Odirile ‘China’ Matlhaku,” he said. According to Kemoen, the local sporting system has rejected Sebele. “He should not be lying unsupported, I appeal to our system to recognise people who have made our sports what it is today,” he said.