Top gun Ayanda remembers his roots

When Ayanda Dlamini misses his late mother, the AmaZulu striker pops a Pastor Shirley Caesar CD into his music player and immediately feels at peace listening toI Remember Mama.

And when Caesar belts out the line "we went to school with holes in our shoes," Dlamini says: "I know what it means going to school with holes in your shoes. I have walked that walk. There were times when I wore girls' shoes to school."

To escape being the butt of jokes, that meant self-imposed exile from the playground.

"It was embarrassing. I would stay in class the whole day because the other children would be laughing."

Those girls' shoes were hand-me-downs to the sixth of eight children - six girls and two boys.

These days, his best shoes are his soccer boots, his weapons to burn holes in the opposition net.

There is a great chasm between the Castle regional league (third division) - where he scored 44 goals in two and half seasons - and the Absa Premiership. Yet the former Nongoma Citizens striker made a seamless transition to the big league.

Dlamini, from KwaCeza in Ulundi, Zululand, netted a healthy 10 PSL goals in his debut season last year and managed one cup competition strike in the MTN8.

Perched atop the top scorers' chart alongside Moses Spandeel and Russel Mlotshwa on three goals apiece, he has started this season in sizzling fashion.

Dlamini is in a good space. "I'm happy with my life now and my family is involved in lobola negotiations."

Things were not always rosy, but the 25-year-old believes his difficult upbringing prepared him for the rigours of life.

Raised on the meagre salary of his security guard dad, the death of his old man in 2002 turned his world upside down.

"He always impressed on us the importance of education and never tired of telling us how difficult it was for him to leave the family and go work in Joburg because he had no education."

"He was just a security guard, but he took care of us in every way possible.

"The greatest gift he gave us was to teach us never to run away from responsibility, to be man enough to face the world no matter the challenge. Before he died, he lost his job."

Fortunately for Dlamini, a good Samaritan was waiting in the wings. His teacher and soccer coach at Nsukangihlale Primary, Thabani Ndlovu, took him under his wing.

"I noticed his talent when he was young. When his father died I took him in and raised him as my son," said Ndlovu.

"He was easy to handle because he is full of respect. He must continue respecting adults, his teammates and his coaches. He is doing wonders at home, supporting the family and building a home. He makes me proud."

His entree to the big time came after Citizens chairman Kaizer Dladla contacted Usuthu manager James Dlamini, who invited him for trials at the end of May last year.

"Coach Neil Tovey signed me at the end of June. Working with him and Calvin Petersen built my confidence."

Says Tovey: "Ayanda didn't catch our eye immediately. He showed exceptional quality and pace in a friendly against Jomo Cosmos.

"Calvin worked on him a lot on his finishing, especially on his weaker left foot. He is a good jumper and deceptively good in the air.

"Sudden fame almost took his attention away from the game. I had a strong word with him and he straightened up.

"He is in your face for the whole 90 minutes, continuously making runs, trying to make things happen and that makes life difficult for defenders.

"A little bit of composure in front of goal will take him far.

"There was no reason why he didn't go to a Bafana camp before the World Cup when there were guys in that set-up who scored fewer goals than him."

AmaZulu were the third team where he tried his luck. Owen da Gama liked his game but after a three-month trial, "Silver Stars management said I did not have the experience and were loath to gamble on an unknown player", he said.

Moroka Swallows made him train with the under-19s "and nothing was conveyed to me after three weeks, and that is when the news of my mother's passing came through".

He returned to KwaCeza where he enrolled for nursing at a government hospital.

"You just have to submit your matric certificate. I trained and qualified and got paid R3600 after deductions."