Retired Bafana Bafana player David “Going Up” Nyathi is not putting down his football boots anytime soon. The football legend continues to live and breathe the sport as a coach for the Cape Town Spurs. He is also a member of the South African Football Association. Nyathi spoke to MatieMedia’s Nakishka Skriker about the game that shaped his life.
David Nyathi, a retired Bafana Bafana player, now spends much of his time coaching the Cape Town Spurs Under 16 team in Parow. “My impact in life is through football,” Nyathi says. Nyathi remains entrenched in the game, and is also a member of the South African Football Association. PHOTO: Nakishka Skriker
“I am proud to be part of that group,” says David Nyathi. “That was a generation of strong characters – footballing individuals, wonderful people, true leaders, and champions in their own right.”
The group in question is the Bafana Bafana team who won the 1996 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), earning their place in the South African Hall of Fame. Nyathi played the position of left-back for the team through its successful run.
A golden age for Bafana Bafana
Nyathi joined the national team in 1992, as the sanctions on South African sport were lifted. He refers to this as a privilege, if not “destiny”.
It was an exciting and optimistic time for South African athletes, but it also came with enormous pressure, as the entire world set its eyes on South African sport. The world stage was new to South African athletes, though, Nyathi says. Yet, it was a privilege to be able to embrace the present and learn to move forward, he says.
“We came from the worst background – just imagine coming from Apartheid! – onto the steps of international competition,” he says. “And we had to learn fast!”
The team undeniably rose to the challenge, and Nyathi himself experienced great success, playing for the national team until 1999. His success extended locally as he played for the Orlando Pirates, Cape Town Spurs, and Kaizer Chiefs from 1992 to 2000, he says.
Bafana Bafana’s AFCON win in 1996 opened up doors for Nyathi overseas, he says. He spent much time abroad playing for teams such as FC St Gallen, Tenerife, and Calgiari in Europe.
Retired Bafana Bafana player David Nyathi is very involved in his Mitchell’s Plain community, he says. On the Stephen Reagan Sport Field near his Mitchell’s Plain home, Nyathi kicks around a flat football with hopeful youngsters, inviting them to try out for the Cape Town Spurs Under 16 team, which he coaches. PHOTO: Nakishka Skriker
“As a football person, when I look back to those who made football, there were far greater players than I am,” says Nyathi. The design of Apartheid, which rendered many black players disadvantaged, made it difficult for many deserving players to have the opportunities he was afforded, he explains.
“[Many of these players] probably would have made us even prouder than we have made the country. So, we are honoured in many ways,” he says.
Nyathi feels that he was privileged to play amongst a generation of strong characters. “We had a drive as a collective to want to do something extraordinary,” Nyathi says with reference to how his team achieved such great success. He remains in touch with his Bafana Bafana teammates.
Nyathi entered the game strongly inspired by local players, citing Patrick “Ace” Ntsoelengoe and Ryder Mofokeng as two of his inspirations. He names former teammate Doctor Khumalo as someone he admires in particular.
The future of football
Nyathi has been coaching the Cape Town Spurs, formerly known as Ajax Cape Town, for over a decade. Over the last decade, he coached in various capacities at the club, amongst others as assistant coach to the senior team, and as head coach for the Under 12, Under 15, and Under 19 youth teams. Currently, Nyathi spends much of his time coaching the Under 16 team in Parow.
“The biggest limitation for our country’s prospects is passion,” he says, noting that the more recent Bafana Bafana teams have struggled to reach its former success. He holds that the quality of players is there, but the initiative to “own the stage” is missing.
Nyathi adds that the same could be said for other South African sports. As a coach, he’s been granted the opportunity to cultivate the potential of young players. The key, he says, is to connect with people in order to guide them to what drives them as athletes.
He views sport as the ultimate tool of empowerment, given the mental and physical limits athletes are pushed to, and the opportunities it provides to connect with others. Through coaching, and his inspirational legacy, Nyathi says he has been able to empower others.
“If you put everything into it, nothing is impossible,” he says. “You can come from the worst of areas. You can come from the most disadvantaged family. You can come from the worst background. But if you put everything into it, nothing is impossible.”
David Nyathi rose to the ranks of Bafana Bafana in 1992, but started his football career with local team Dangerous Darkies in 1991. Joining the national team in 1992 was a privilege, if not “destiny”, says Nyathi. PHOTO: Nakishka Skriker
An endless game
“I got into the game. I’m still in the game. I’m growing in the game, and I think my life will be contextualised around the game itself,” says Nyathi of football.
At the height of his professional career, the expectations could become overwhelming. Nyathi was faced with enormous pressure, saying he often struggled with anxiety and doubts about whether he should remain in the game. He claims that the intensive physical regime and hours of training were extremely challenging.
There was no way to predict the demands of the international stage, he says, though he claims that the experience was ultimately rewarding.
Nyathi received many accolades in the nineties. Amongst these is sharing the title of Man of the Match with the legendary Ronaldo at the 1998 World XI versus Europe match, in which his star-studded team won.
However, when asked of his career highlights, Nyathi names no specific event. Instead, he says that finding himself through the sport is his greatest achievement.
“I think we all don’t know what awaits us,” he says. “But we all have a drive to meet the unknown, whether fearfully or courageously.”
Beyond the field
Much of David Nyathi’s time is spent working for the South African Football Association, and coaching the Cape Town Spurs, says the former Bafana Bafana player. However, he also enjoys getting involved with his Mitchell’s Plain community, as he cites “connecting with people” as one of his greatest passions. PHOTO: Nakishka Skriker
On the Stephen Reagan Sport Field near his Mitchell’s Plain home, Nyathi kicks around a flat football with a group of youngsters. He hasn’t kicked a ball like this since his childhood, he says.
He volunteers a slip of paper with his cellphone number to the group, encouraging the eager children to try out for the Cape Town Spurs.
One of his passions, aside from football, is to connect with people. He hopes his insights, from his experiences living abroad and playing as a national footballer, may rub off on the players he coaches.
Everyone has a responsibility to drive South Africa forward, says Nyathi. “As a South African, I am part of what South Africa strives to be, whether I’m a footballer or a normal citizen […] It comes from within.”
Nyathi isn’t precisely sure how his prophetic nickname, ‘Going Up’, came to be. He simply says: “There are people who see things we don’t see.”
Nyathi still identifies with the nickname, he says. He claims to have an even more positive outlook on life in more recent years, though he’s reached a greater sense of peace compared to the ambitious days of his youth.
“I feel like I am in a new step of my life that is really good for me.”