Rivaldo fairytale was scripted by Ajax and Shakes

Born winner. . . Rivaldo Coetzee, front, celebrates with his Ajax Cape Town U19 teammates after winning the 2013 Engen KO Challenge. He captained the side

Many a Bafana Bafana fan wars either enthralled or shocked by the ease with which young Rivaldo Coetzee took his place in the Bafana defence. We know that area of the team being the territory of big, tough guys, not laaities. So how did Rivaldo came through with flying colours, aged just 17?

Firstly, the lad comes from Kakamas, a place 90 percent of South Africans will die without having set foot there. The tourism town with a history of poverty is mostly known as the rest spot for travellers heading to the Aughrabies Falls, or the thinly populated west coast of South Africa.
Secondly, Rivaldo has two institutions to thank for his history-making debut for Bafana in Congo last Saturday; these are Ajax Cape Town and Shakes Mashaba.  

Rivaldo was moulded by the respected development structures at Ajax. He got used to winning in an organised environment from an early age, winning several titles with Ajax junior and youth squads. In 2012 Mashaba added his influence over him in the national under-17 squad. Rivaldo and his Ajax teammate Ayabulela Magqwaka proved themselves to be quality material under Mashaba. But they also learnt early to deal with bitter dissapointment as Amajimbos fell 5-3 on aggregate to Ghana (December 2012) in their final qualifier for 2013 Africa Under-17 Championships.

The year 2013 was a big year for the unassuming Coetzee. Far from the attention of the South African media, which normally gives youth soccer scant mentioning, the youngster  was achieving great things ahead of his time. In August of that year he captained the Ajax Cape Town under-19 side as they won record six th Engen KO Challenge title.

Rivaldo not only received the trophy on his behalf of his teammates, he only scooped the defender of the tournament and player of the tournament titles for himself. Needless to say,  he was partnered by Magqwaka in defence. By that the pair and some of their under-17 teammates had graduated to the national under-20 with Mashaba. Ironically, Magqwaka captained his club skipper in the Amajita squad.

In December 2013 the pair strongly led Amajita to victory in the Cosafa championship held in Lesotho. Also in December Rivaldo and Magqwaka were registered for Ajax senior team, to play Premier League soccer!
In between the business of trying to find their footing in the Ajax squad, the pair continued with business of helping SA qualify for Under-20 African championship, under their mentor  Mashaba.  

As fate would have it, that match against Cameroon also happened to be the last for Mashaba as the head coach of Amajita, following his appointment to coach Bafana Bafana, the SA senior team.
Mashaba shook the nation with the unthinkable, selecting both Coetzee and Magqwaka to Bafana Bafana. While Magqwaka is still waiting for his chance at senior level, Coetzee on Saturday made his never scripted debut in Congo! His first senior cap made him the youngest player ever to play for Bafana Bafana, beating the old record by Aaron Mokoena, also a defender.

When he ran onto the astro-turf surface at Pointe-Noire, Coetzee's age was 17 years, 11 months and 26 days old. Mokoena was 18 years, two months and 26 days old when he debuted for SA.
That he never looked out of place in his entire 90 minutes on the field, Coetzee simply endorsed his mentor's approach and philosphy. That it felt like "I've been here before" points to the hard work by the coaches at Ajax development structures, as well as the leadership of Mashaba as team manager.

It has never felt this good in a long, long, long  time to be a Bafana Bafana fan. Thanks to the coach and the lads to finally bury the ghost of Pointe-Noire, and for SA soccer to be mentioned with reverence again on the continent.

Now repeat the sweet victory in Congo by slaying he Red Devils once and for all in Polokwane on Wednesday.  

National colours. . . Rivaldo Coetzee has played for SA at under-17, under-20 and senior level. He still has to make his debut for the Olympic team, the under-23 squad

Time to bury the ghost of Pointe-Noire

South African teams do not like travelling to any of the Congos and Bafana Bafana, the senior national team, has a particular phobia for Pointe-Noire, a port in the smaller Congo. Our team team is heading there today, to face the leaders of Group A in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on Saturday.

Back in 1997 SA was still inexperienced in international football, after our readmission five years earlier. On that fateful day, 6 April 1997, Bafana experienced their worst acts of intimidation and open hostility in Pointe-Noire (the Black Cape) when  their players were roughed by Congo players and soldiers on the sidelines. The soldiers also ordered SABC TV crew to switch off, while defender Mark Fish bled from military assault.

Because of that fiasco in 1997 the trip to Pointe-Noire has symbolised a journey into the heart of darkness, despite Bafana Bafana traveling back to Congo three times in subsequent. The SA team won two of those matches and drew one. Horror is not a nice picture to have about fellow Africans. I want to believe a lot has changed in the intervening period  because 1997 was not a good year for Congo and its people. In April of that year the political situation was tense and the government soldiers operated with impunity, like a militia group, with the blessings of a highly paranoid President Pascal Lissouba.

On June 5, Lissouba's forces surrounded the Brazzaville compound of his rival Denis Sassou-Nguesso but the latter ordered his own militia, the Cobras, to resist. The exchange of fire would continue until October when Angola troops invaded Brazzaville in favour of Sassou-Nguesso, who installed himself president and is still in power today.

Bafana are a better team since Shakes Mashaba took over three months ago. Judging by the fearless approach Mashaba and his boys showed in Sudan and against Nigeria, the ghost of Pointe-Noire is ready to be buried. But footballwise, it won't be that easy because the Red Devils are also a different team from the days we used to beat. Winds of change have been blowing in recent for Congo football in recent years, as seen by the competence of its champion club Leopards of Dolisie  in CAF competitions. Dolisie is  a  town 110km north-east of Pointe-Noire, on the N1 linking Brazzaville to Pointe-Noire.

Morever, the Devils boast an increased number of foreign-based players including their inspirational captain Prince Oniangue. The Paris-born midfielder scored in each of Congo first two matches in Group A, as the Red Devils beat Nigeria (3-2) and Sudan 2-0.
Even more significant was the appointing of veteran of African football Claude Le Roy to coach the side. The Frenchman is revered for being a disciplinarian who managed to bring the best out of many national teams on the continent, including DR Congo, Cameroon, Senegal and Ghana.

Congo was  ranked 84th in the world when Leroy took over the reigns in December 2013. A string of victories has improved their position to 48, far above 67th ranked South Africa who are rebuilding after a long-term collapse.

It is now up to Bafana to prove that the rankings can mean nothing by slaying the Devils one more time on Saturday. Beef up boys; turn Pointe-Noire into the most pleasant resort ever!

Atlantic coastline at Pointe-Noire, Congo