Programme director,
Members of the Executive Council here present The Executive Mayor of Sekhukhune District,
The Mayor of Tubatse,
The leadership of SAFA,
Our national coach,
The Captain of our national team and players present here,
The Madigage family,
Traditional and church leaders,
All people present here.
Thobela.
We are meeting here this morning to bid farewell to a great sportsman whose valuable life was abruptly cut by a tragic car accident. We are here to mourn the death and celebrate the life of Mr. Thomas ‘Chincha Guluva’ Madigage, a great son of Sekhukhune. In 2003, death robbed our province and South Africa as a whole of Lesley “Slow Poison” Manyathela whose bright and promising career was also sadly terminated by a car accident.
Today, we have converged here to bid farewell to the mortal remains of Chincha Guluva Madigage who possessed a rare talent which will remain engraved in our thoughts. The Madigage we knew, was very humble, respectable, admirable and a true gentleman who was never overwhelmed by fame. Even when he was a successful professional football player he always remembered his community and always associated with his own people.
At the age of 16, our brother, was already a professional football player with a bright future in the game. He grew within the football family under the tutelage of Ntate Jomo Sono, one of the most celebrated legends of our football fratenity. Thomas was very unique because he resisted all sorts of temptation which destroyed many promising careers of other sportsmen and women. His focus and determination to succeed enabled him to achieve many important things in the game.
Madigage did not only become the youngest footballer, but he also became one the few players to play overseas when it was uncommon. Thomas went to play football overseas when the country was still under the apartheid regime, a regime that never allowed promising black sports persons to explore their careers elsewhere.
He was often rewarded for his unparallel commitment to the game by winning major titles alongside his teammates. Even when he was in the forefront of assisting his team to win a major game or title, he never took the personal glory for he understood the importance of collective work and team spirit. He knew that any win just like losing is something that belongs to the entire team and not individuals.
He was a selfless player who was passionate about the wellbeing of others both on and off the pitch. Some of his former teammates acknowledged that Madigage always went an extra mile in creating relations with his colleagues and sometimes, also their immediate family members. He was a motivator who urged his teammates never to succumb to pressure, injury or anything that may obstruct them.
Madigage put his country first and never threatened to dump the national team even when his undivided services where required by his club. He always prioritised the interests of the nation without expecting lucrative rewards. He was a true South African and an honest sportsman who must be emulated by those in the game.
The fact that he knew that the career of any sport person may be shortly terminated at any given moment gave him courage to fight the injury that was threatening his career. He used his ability to work under the leadership of others to accumulate more knowledge. The fact that he served as an assistant coach for many years without demanding the coaching post is a living testimony of our conclusion that he was very patient and very calculative in taking decisions.
He was a loyal person, who offered immensely to the development of football in the country, especially in this area of Sekhukhune. Therefore, the youth of this area and our province at large must develop genuine interests in sports in order to take forward the legacy of Thomas Madigage. We must produce many athletes who will dominate both domestic and international sporting codes.
The International Association of Athletics Federation’s (IAAF) 800 metre race gold medals; are here in Limpopo after they were won by Mokgadi Caster Semenya and Mmbulaeni Mulaudzi who demonstrated a heroic performance at the IAAF games in Berlin in 2009.
We must never undermine the fact that we are a province full of talent and hope. We must not underestimate the role that is played by sports in changing the behavior of the society. Sport is one of the weapons that must be used to dictate the direction of our nation. We have an obligation to invest some of our fortune in sports and encourage people in particular the youth to participate in sporting activities.
We must be active by using sport to build a healthy nation that is able to increase its life expectancy . We should concentrate more energy in developing sport in a manner that contributes to the curbing and eradication of crime. We should employ the power of sport to bridge any racial or tribal divisions and all other forms of discrimination, which have denied us the opportunity to discover our full potential as a nation.
As we prepare to accompany our brother to his last resting place, we should always appreciate the power of sport and develop the beautiful game as part of furthering the legacy of Thomas Madigage.
The Madigage family, in Thomas you had offered a true patriot to the nation and we will forever be grateful for that. We are with you during this time of mourning and we will be together as we jointly recover from this sad moment. “May the soul of Thomas Madigage rest in peace”
Thank you!
