1. Good day ”The General”, it’s quite a chilly day today here in Johannesburg, probably this is the kind of weather that you are used to. How are you adapting to South African weather to this end, taking into consideration that many players that played abroad over time cited hot (harsh) weather as one of the main obstacles to adjusting to South African Football?
Kamo Mokotjo: I mean for me when it comes to the conditions …I never really had a problem adjusting, the good thing is I came back in good shape, you know …..I set my goals and I knew what I wanted ….so adaptation was smooth, I think the club helped me a lot, the staff, medical team, and the players too of course, because I obviously had to keep up with them after having been out for such a long time, soo …jaa, it’s been good and finally ‘am getting minutes and I can’t ask for more.
2. When you left Mzanzi you were still young; do you still have friends around and what were you missing about South Africa when you were playing abroad?
Kamo Mokotjo: Mhhhh, obviously I have friends, I have family…you know… friends that were also in Europe came back …. mmmhhh…what I missed the most obviously I would say family, but my job is football, and I think it was a challenge for me to just come back to the family and see how it has changed.
3. After spending over a decade abroad playing in the Netherlands, England, and the United States of America. How do you rate the standard of PSL?
Kamo Mokotjo: Jaa I think it’s growing; the standard is growing and it’s just that …you know …there’s a lot of things that they have in Europe that they don’t have here obviously, and we kinda have to compensate for those things which do not make it easy for the players or the coaches …but I think …when it comes to the standard of the league it’s not bad and there’s still a lot of room for growth, I think …with every department of a football club.
4. You captained South Africa’s U12 national team to victory at the 2003 Danone Nations Cup in France and were named the Player of the Tournament. What were the lessons learned from that global competition?
Kamo Mokotjo: I think I went twice to that tournament when I was eleven and when I was twelve, if am not mistaken …mmhhh. It was an amazing experience, I think for all of us who were there, obviously a different environment, but also different surfaces, which made it easier for us to play our carpet football and jaa… we moved much better on the pitch but also getting to meet the likes of Bixente Jean Michel Lizarazu, and Zinedine Zidane ..it was amazing, but I just think the experience of being that young traveling abroad …you know ….it made us more ambitious to become PRO footballers …so for some it happened, for some, I didn’t, but I think a lot of life lessons learned also from those trips ..jaa.. luckily, I had a few more through the Supersport Feyenoord Academy …and jaa I observed so much from that time. Still observing till this day …so there’s always room to grow …and I had an opportunity right now at my age to have an impact on South African football and am looking forward to it and am very grateful for the opportunity that Sekhukhune United gave me.
5. Talking about Zinedine Zidane from France, your picture with the football icon, was all over the global football media. What message did Zidane share with you in 2003?
Kamo Mokotjo: I mean he didn’t say much he handed over the trophy and obviously I was staring at him in admiration… you know… The BIG player then, BIG Manager now, so hopefully, I mean I took a lot from that, you know …, that alone being in a picture with him was and still is a big thing and an inspiration on its own … and jaa… I mean hopefully, most footballers get to follow in his footsteps …. whether they have won as much as he has won or not …you know ….so it’s just inspirational.
6. You were one of the players that represented South Africa at U12, U20, and U23. Are you still available to represent the national team (Bafana) in the future?
Kamo Mokotjo: Ha,ha,ha… Well I mean if the opportunity arises …you don’t say NO to your country …but jaa ..as an individual I haven’t set goals for Bafana Bafana at the moment but I still have passion for the game, I have a hunger for the game, I know that no matter how good, how young, how old you are you can still grow and you can still be at a certain level ..so I won’t rule myself out when it comes to anything, so I’ll see what happens but my focus is here (Sekhukhune United)at the moment and I mean ‘am here for a reason …I mean …only God knows when it comes to future achievement.
7. You have participated in 3 League and 2 Nedbank Cup games are you satisfied /happy with your performance thus far and have you reached your required level?
Kamo Mokotjo: I think I will never be satisfied… things will never be perfect you know… the focus is that the club create a good foundation for itself, I make an impact within that and we all have the same mindset when it comes to what we want to achieve, ‘am a team player, you know ..so I can’t do it alone I need my teammates to achieve things like I said if we all have the same mindset, then I think things will come to fruition.
8. The club didn’t manage to attain maximum points in our last three games. Do you think the FIFA break will help us to turn the tables around?
Kamo Mokotjo: Jaa I think coming back from the FIFA break, we came back feeling refreshed, recovered, physically and mentally, mhhh…last three games, good performances but we didn’t get maximum points, you know ..we have been doing well in the Nedbank Cup but I feel if we don’t perform well in the league, I think it will weigh heavily on us if we don’t end up in a good position because we know the potential that we have, and we know our ambitions, so I think everything is a process, and we’re still in that process …mmmhh..but it’s always about finding a way to it at the end, and just like all the supporters and all the people in the office as much as they get disappointed if we don’t get maximum points, we also get disappointed too, we are working hard, as I said, there’s great potential in this team, great, great potential ….’am just glad to be part of this group I hope they believe and know that they can do great things.
9. SKUFC will be back in action on Sunday against Golden Arrows how are the preparations going?
Kamo Mokotjo: Preparations are going well considering that Golden Arrows is a very unpredictable team you know, they can come from all sides, and they’re very busy on the pitch, but is for us to be patient and to trust in what we are doing, stay in the game, the game is 90 minutes whether we score first, concede, whether things are good, or they’re tough, it is just important that this weekend we suffer together, if we suffer together we can win the game, and I believe we have more quality in this team and, jaa …I think that we must have a positive mindset going into the game.
10. What is your message to youngsters who want to pursue a football career in Europe?
Kamo Mokotjo: what I can say is that it is never too late to achieve what you want to achieve, if you look at me, I was a late bloomer, you know …in the Academy ranks nobody understood the kind of football I played, but I knew my strength and I kept to it and jaa …that’s the character you know… and now you get to be identified as a role model …you know, for staying in there even when things were not good …so I mean the advice that I can give is, If you have the ambitions of going overseas stick to your strengths, always keep the passion for what you do stay positive, everything has a mindset ..if your mind is strong, the body will follow …visualize yourself in those places that you see yourself in.
11. Lastly, your message to Babina Noko supporters?
Kamo Mokotjo: Be patient there’s still so much to come from this group of players, there’s a winning mentality here, there’s a lot of talent …we hope to achieve in the short time, but definitely bigger things are coming.
12. Thank you so much The General for your time, enjoy your gym session?
Kamo Mokotjo: Thank you for the opportunity.
