Orlando Pirates midfielder Kabelo Dlamini has revealed how former Kaizer Chiefs dribbling wizard Jabu Mahlangu (former Pule) discovered him, saying the latter played a big part in his professional journey.
Dlamini and Mahlangu come from the same neighbourhood, Daveyton and ironically the player was also nicknamed ‘Shuffle’ after Mahlangu by those who saw similarities in the duo’s game.
Dlamini told iDiski Times senior writer Velile Mnyandu in the latest edition of the newspaper that his father and Mahlangu knew each other, though the 27-year-old didn’t know this fact before their meeting.
The Pirates star reminisced about the day that changed the course of his career as player where Mahlangu took an interest in a training session, while passing by a park where the young Dlamini was also participating.
The Chiefs legend was so impressed that he took him to Farouk Khan’s Stars of Africa academy, where he kick-started his career.
“Yes and I also want to say thank God for making it possible, for sending him to watch me train at the park,” Dlamini told iDiski Times.
“He was a blessing. You see at a park, in the morning during the week, players who don’t have clubs and those trying to break into the professional ranks, we trained at a park. Jabu Pule was passing by but he decided to stop, put on his boots and trained with us.
“That’s when he saw the kind of player I am. He asked for my number and a week after that he told me he spoke to Farouk [Khan] then I went to the academy for trials.
“I think on that day it was the first time he saw me playing because also my father is famous in Daveyton and he was a ‘Jabu Pule’ himself. So they knew each other but I didn’t know they knew each other.
“Also, Jabu was a very humble guy and he is a kind person. For him to scout me, I mean he saw a lot of us that day but heard them call me Shuffle, he was impressed with how I played and told me I deserved better.
“He took my number, called Farouk and I went to trial. He did that and the rest is history.”
You can read Dlamini’s full interview with Mnyandu in edition 152 of the newspaper available for FREE when you subscribe to the IDiski Times WhatsApp channel.