M-Deee

 

Before Lionel Messi. Before Dipsy Selolwane. Before Cristiano Ronaldo. Before Didier Drogba. Before Pollen Ndlanya. Before Zinedine Zidane. There was M-Deee!

During Doctor Khumalo, Samson Siasia, Andries Mpondo, Ryan Giggs, Mlungisi Kopi, Patrick Zibochwa, Zola wa Southern Pirates, Follow wa Kanye Swallows. There was M-Deee!

M-Deee: a tall, well-built, and very fast boy. More precisely, a young Usain, yes, Bolt. He must have been at least 15 years old – a senior student definitely, in Standard 7. I must have been around 10-11 years old, in Standard 4. I believe he was our main football striker, at Mafhikana Primary School, the year ‘we’ won the Regional League. M-Deee won us the League. Usually, our footballers would pass the ball to him; likewise, he would pass the ball, but to himself, and sprint off, like lightning. No one ever caught him.

A dirt pitch stained white bandage, perfectly wrapped around his left monster calf. Wearing the blue, long sleeved number-9 football jersey kit, complimented by the school uniform khaki shorts, identical to the ones I had, the shorts. Making contact with the black and white football, the barefooted M-Deee would then fire a bullet past the admiring goalkeeper ­– hitting the back of the white goalposts net.

Many times after ‘we’ scored: From standing just over the touchline, and some of us seated on the ground closely to the seated bench warmers, rather ground warmers; and the forever-standing coach ­– we jubilantly ran and tumbled wildly onto the dusty football pitch. Sprinting towards the scorer, who was often M-Deeee, or any of his teammates and wrapped our arms around them – jumping for joy. The pitch invaders were a united crowd of at least 100: mostly young boys, girls, ”Bo Mmedemo” (women teachers), young village men, and I myself. Some would be shouting, tumbling and whistling for joy: ”gouloooooooooooooo!”  Whereas most of us chose: ‘M-Deeeeee-Modirakgotla’.

It was a usual scene.

Photo:Killerpassbotswana