Took a taxi from Protea Glen to MTN Taxi rank in Johannesburg. When I got there, I got on a taxi to Midrand; so on our way to Midrand I asked the drive if he knows where Chloorkop is because I had no clue, it was my first time going there; so I deepened my voice and approached the driver 'Sho Uncle, ngichela ukubuza ukuthi uyayazi ukuba iChloorkop ikupi, lapho iSundowns itraina khona?' He then answered me and said "Ca angazi, uzabuzaphambile" I did not panic, I'm lying, I was panicking!
We get to Midrand at the taxi's final stop, looked around and saw an Engen garage, I figured the petrol attendants would help me find me way to Chloorkop or at least provide direction. I went to Engen and tapped one of the guys and asked him if he knew where Chloorkop was, 'Ekse my bra, waitse gore Chloorkop emo kae?', then answered "Mo Sundowns etrainelang ko teng, neh imo tseleng eyang Kempton Park. Tswara taxi enyang Kempton Park ko rankeng, and then utla ba bosta gore uya koSundowns." The brother went on to direct me to the taxi rank and it was around corner, I was relieved, pumped, I was electric.
I raced to the taxi rank, asked for taxis to Kempton Park, got one, it was almost full, got in and went to the back seat; in little less than five minutes to when I got on, the taxi was full. I took out my fare, everything went smooth during the paying process, the guy seating at the front seat was brilliant with the maths; collected the drivers money and gave people their changes in quick time, he was confident, checking with the passengers if they got their change, he had charisma.
On our way to Kempton Park, well for me Chloorkop, I was practicing what I was going to say to stop the taxi, so I was busy mumbling "ko Sundowns, ko Sundowns, ko Sundowns". There was a young lady sitting next to me, she kept looking at me, was I disturbing her journey, probably. But I had to practice because I could not afford to miss that stop, so when I saw a yellow wall, I lit up and shouted "ko Sundowns". Climbed off the taxi, checked the time and I was early, I arrived at 08:48, I was proud, I made it to Chloorkop!
I get to the gate, told security I'm here for the Media Day, they gave me the register, filled in my details and then I went through. Then when I settled, I checked my messages, my brother and his wife were trying to get a hold off me, they were checking my whereabouts, so I responded to them, telling them I'm safe and I arrived at Chloorkop.
So I had sat just outside the offices, I was alone, I was just admiring the facilities. As I was planning around and dotting some questions, I saw Pitso Mosimane, he was coming out of the offices, he was walking towards my way; my heart started pumping, the last time I was that nervous was back in High School, in my grade 8 during a Valentine Ball Draft. As coach Pitso was approaching me, I stood up, I had made it up in my mind that I'm going greet him but instead he greeted me first "How are you?", was I astonished, yes, so I replied "I'm well and you coach" then he said " I'm good". That moment right there made me feel like I belogn here, not sure if I'm making sense.
Times goes by, training session starts and members of the media start arriving. Watched the training session with a close eye, trying to see how the club operates, how this breed of winners train and how Pitso Mosimane conducts a training session. He watched on as the players were doing their warm ups, then took charge of the session, seeing him hands on was fulfilling, I saw a wholesome football man.
The training session ended, and it was time for the pre match pressers for the game against Chippa United, first up it was Themba Zwane then followed by Dennis Onyango. Their sessions went by swiftly and then they announced that Pitso Mosimane will be coming next, my anticipation was over, I've watched plenty of Mosimanes press conference, I envisioned the moment many times as student, where I attended a Pitso Mosimane press conference, I just did not know what to expect.
As he was approaching the press stand, the atmosphere amongst the members of the press changed, everyone was suddenly on their toes, people rushed to the table and place their recorders, phones and microphones, the camera operators were getting in position; while I was watching Mosimane come through walking with confidence and swagger with a cup of in hand. He gets to the stand and I'm yet to place my device, so I push through, put my phone on the table and our eyes locked, my big eyes gazed at him and he gave me a nod and I nodded back, noble thing do.
When the press conference started, I zoned out, took myself out of my body, watched, studied how proceedings were going. The press were armed with questions and Mosimane had answers, watching him deal with the press was similar to seeing Picasso handling his strokes or Zinedine Zidane at the 2006 FIFA World Cip, I was watching a master at work. The presser spanned a duration of 30 minutes, the topics discussed included Thapelo Morena, Kaizer Chiefs, BidVest Wits, CAF Champions League, Nelson Mandela, and apartheid and its cruelty. After the press comfrence was concluded, so went to collect our devices and people were having handshakes (this was before the Coronavirus outbreak and handshakes were banned) with man and I did not go to get a handshake.
I left Chloorkop inspired, and wondering how it must be for the seasoned journalists who have covered Pitso Mosimane and just how his relationship with the press is. When I had an opening I, pursued the venture and got in contact with some of my favourite journalists including Mahlatse Mphahlele, Mike Gumede, Busi Mokoena and Njabulo Ngidi. Wanted to know about their experience of covering Pitso Mosimane, from his time at SuperSport United, Bafana Bafana and to the now at Mamelodi Sundowns.
To understand Pitso Mosimanes relationship with the press in his early coaching at SuperSport United, I reached out to one of the most respected journalists, the all rounder Mahlatse Mphahlele, I wanted to know what was the reception Mosimane got from the press and get to know about their relationship.
"When Pitso came we did not expect much from him as there was little known of him back then. He replaced Bruce Grobbler, who was a very chaotic and disorganized character, so to seek stability SuperSport brought in Pitso Mosimane.
From the beginning Mosimane, has always been very opinionated, he has always been someone who speaks their mind. The media has always mistaken his confidence for arrogance, but his relationship with the media during his time with SuperSport was good, he did a lot of media initiatives. Yes, he was inexperienced in terms of dealing with the media but was always willing to learn as time went by.
At SuperSport he worked well with everyone, you can even ask the officials, then senior players and former players, he brought in a lot of youngsters. He was was very successful, winning the Top 8 and the successful league finishes. In doing so he earned the right to speak while others just speak.
Our relationship is good now, although in the past we have had our disagreements, it happens, its part of the job. But we are good now, there is mutual respect between us," said Mphahele.
Mphahele was able to shed some light on Pitso Mosimanes tenure at Bafana Bafana with dealing with the media on a bigger scale.
"He made mistakes at Bafana Bafana with the media, and he will be the first to raise his hand and acknowledge that. There were times where he did not deal well with the media, when the media went at him he took it personally. There will always be pressure when coaching a national team in South Africa, be it is the Springboks, Proteas or any other sporting code team," added Mphahlele.
The Citizen football journalist, Mike Gumede who started covering Mamelodi Sundowns back in 2016. He elaborated on his experience of covering Pitso Mosimane, he also gave insight to Mosimane the person.
"Pitso Mosimane is like an egg, hard on the outside and soft on the inside. Pitso ke mojita, ke taima, he is just an overall genuine person. He is a human first before being a football coach, he understands life. He know knows that he has to maintain a degree of humbleness, but at the same time he understands that there a level of arrogance that is needed in the industry that he is in.
He is someone who can approach about anything and he is going to answer you, if he can not, he will tell you to ask Sundowns, but still answer you indirectly. His attitude towards the media has changed compared to what it was when he was with Bafana Bafana, he is a completely different character, he is friendlier to the media.
He takes care of the media, he is more open. He understands that we are doing our job and not there to hunt him down when we ask the difficult questions when things are not going well. So he takes care of the media, he knows that we need to file for TV and radio and so on, he can give you 15 stories in 10 minutes. Pitso is generally one of the best guys to cover," commented Gumede.
After Mamelodi Sundowns won the CAF Champions League, Pitso Mosimanes star rose to prominence. New Frame Sports Editor Njabulo Ngidi covered their Champions League winning campaign and was able to paint a picture on the relationship Mosimane has the Egyptian and how the South African media dealt with his newly found stardom.
" It was indifferent. Mosimane respected them, but then Sundowns weren’t a force in the continent so he did not register much in the Egyptian media. But the more they became a force, the more he was respected by them to a point where he was asked by Egypt’s biggest TV station to be an analyst at the AFCON. Now he is royalty in Egypt, where he goes he is mobbed and they want to hear what he has to say.
Mosimane enjoys a great relationship with the SA media because he is quality, he always offers entertaining soundbites and never says no comment. He can be confrontational and combative, but if you know him you know it’s not personal but it’s because of his passion.
His time with Bafana Bafana was a huge learning curve for Mosimane when it comes to handling the media. He has now mastered the art of manipulating the media by ensuring that he shapes conversations and talking points, but not necessarily the result. He is a master of deflecting, and he uses that skill well after a loss. He says something outrageous or will set tongues wagging, shifting the focus from his players and the disappointing result. The biggest lesson at Bafana was picking his battles with the media wisely. He did that poorly towards the end and he was slammed. Now he has a better control of the relationship and chooses his battles wisely," elaborated Ngidi.
I reached out to renowned Kaya FM sports journalist Busisiwe Mokoena, to find out how is her working relationship with Pitso Mosimane and get general comments about the contractual situation and how Mosimane has used the media to get his voice heard.
"My working relationship with coach Pitso is that of mutual respect. I’m usually the only woman at a Sundowns press conference or media open day and he has never made me feel less than any of my male counterparts. And whenever I asked for one on one interviews with him he’s always granted me a fair amount of time. I think he respects me as a journalist.
It was a smart move for Pitso to speak about his contract in the media often. Even though it was the media who brought the question up over and over again. He has built a good relationship with the team’s supporters over the years through the results and achievements for the club. By telling the media that he wants to stay in the club and he’s getting the supporters to back him, should the club not give him what he wants," said Mokoena.
Whether Mosimane is going to stay at Mamelodi Sundowns or move on, one thing I know is I'm going to enjoy covering him throughout my career. Maybe one day we will sit down for a cup of tea, he loves his tea.
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