‘Thwala was on a mission to break my leg’
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‘Thwala was on a mission to break my leg’
Aug 16, 2026 – 01:25 pm
By Staff Reporter
In this edition of In The Spotlight, KickOff speaks to former Moroka Swallows and South Africa youth international Phumelele “Ace” Bhengu.
Yes, it did. It turned out exactly as I imagined it when I was a young boy. The only disappointment was not being able to play overseas.
The 2009 Under- 20 World Cup in Egypt. The treatment was way better than what I was used to at Moroka Swallows. The facilities were world-class at that World Cup. Referees were top class; in the hotel you had your own room, everything was so professional, including the buses.
Being a player of a giant club like Moroka Swallows at the time, surely you were used to such good treatment?
[Burst into laughter] Hawu! Hawu! Hawu! The difference was huge. At Swallows, sometimes we would not have enough balls at training. We don’t have balls to train with, but we are sponsored by Puma [laughs]. The kit manager would hide the balls just because they were still new. Sometimes there won’t be enough balls at training. Sometimes we are training in a torn training kit. Sometimes the pitch in Germiston is not right…at training, players have to lift goalposts to move them around, while at the World Cup, goalposts had wheels; all you had to do was push them. I played as a right-back in that World Cup, and I played well from the first game. I was playing against myself. I was flying; I played exactly like Hakim.
According to you, who is the best player ever in the PSL era?
Teko Modise. That guy was not only confident but also believed in his talent. He would see spaces where other players would not. I believe his boot had something like a magnet that attracted the ball to it. His first touch was always perfect. He always wanted the ball.
Lindani Shezi from Makhutha. That’s the guy who took a village boy like me to Swallows.
Our boy at AmaZulu, Athini Maqokolo. That boy he’s got something, but he needs to be worked on. I like his aggression, his power, and the hunger he shows. He’s got no skill and these other things, but he plays winning football. As a coach, that’s what I want from the young boys.
Sometimes, as coaches we control players too much. We give them too much instructions. Let’s allow players play. Give players freedom to express themselves.
If you were to be afforded an opportunity today to play for one of the current PSL clubs, which clubs would you choose?
That’s a tricky question, financially I would go for Mamelodi Sundowns. But football wise I would love to be coached by Arthur Zwane. He is more of a father figure to his players, he understands football from grassroots. So for football reasons I would choose AmaZulu FC.
Lucas Thwala. That guy used to kick me a lot. He would tell me straight he is there at Orlando Pirates to work for his family. That man was on a mission to break my leg.