Those who had the privilege of playing with the late Jerry “Jair” Sadike say he was such a neat and incredible player that he would at times leave the field after a gruelling 90 minutes still tidy, permed Afro intact.
Sadike, one of the country’s most decorated legends and stalwarts of yesteryear, died last week when his body was reported to have been found at Johannesburg’s Edenvale Hospital on Thursday. It is believed he had gone missing from his home in Soweto after suffering a stroke.
He is one of a few players from the 1970s and 1980s to have played for both Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, a difficult feat in a more violent time in SA football between two teams that now boast a far more cordial relationship.
Those who were fortunate enough to see his dashing play and goals say it was by no mistake he was nicknamed “Jair” after the Brazilian superstar “Jairzinho”, who once turned out for Chiefs in a guest stint. The original Jairzinho was no slow coach — he played in three consecutive World Cups in 1966, 1970 and 1974 and is regarded as one of Brazil and the world’s greatest players.
Revered Pirates legend Webster “City Late” Lichaba has fond memories of former teammate and opponent Sadike.
“Jerry was a debonair player. He was a very intelligent and neat striker. He always had a naughty smile that fooled people and defenders into thinking he was harmless — but that was a natural trick he possessed,” Lichaba told TimesLIVE Premium.
“He always tucked in his soccer jersey. After a very difficult encounter, Jerry would be out there looking very tidy and with no sweat. We would ask ourselves how so because the guy just had a bruising match upfront — he was just an unbelievable character.
“In my first encounter with him, he did not reveal much, but I remember that mischievous smile of his. He was a young player when we both played at PUBS. When he arrived at Pirates, I remember the free-kick he took against Rangers.
I have never seen such a neat player on the field and off the field of play. In terms of his haircut and his looks and how he wore the club’s uniform — he never was mistaken for the wrong things.
— Orlando Pirates owner, Irvin Khoza
“Rangers had big players such as Gavin Lambert and Paddy Hall. It was an awkward angle and he said to me, ‘I am going to score.’ The guy knew how to strike the ball and he hit it straight into the net. Then we played together for a couple of seasons at Pirates.
“I last saw him about two years ago. We were attending a funeral of a former player and he was no longer the Jerry I played with and against. My heart sank because he was not in a good condition and I asked the other guys what was wrong but could not get the answers.
“May he rest in peace. He was a great player in that generation of excellent players.”
PSL chair Irvin Khoza, owner of Pirates and a long-time official of the club going back to the 1970s, also painted a glowing picture of the late Sadike.
“I have never seen such a neat player on the field and off the field. In terms of his haircut and his looks and how he wore the club’s uniform — he never was mistaken for the wrong things. He and Webster Lichaba were very interesting characters with their looks — like they were related. He was a rare breed and never got injured.
“He was clinical with his crosses and clinical with creating scoring chances. He was just unbelievable. He played for PUBS and he played for Highlands Park, Kaizer Chiefs and Blue Bells, and he executed his duties for those clubs in an outstanding manner. We share the grief with his family and this is a great loss to SA football. We are here where we are today because of the contribution of people like him in football.”
Sadike was born and raised in Orlando West in 1952. His amateur club was Orlando Hotspurs before he signed for Pimville United Brothers, popularly known as PUBS. He holds the prestige of being the first black player to join Highlands Park, at the height of apartheid.
His biggest move was when the Buccaneers came knocking and he became their star player. He crossed the floor and donned the Chiefs jersey for a few years, before he went back to the Sea Robbers. At Pirates, he joined a team that was teeming with dribbling wizards of the early 80s such as Toy Ramosa, Jomo Sono, Amos “Heel Extension” Mkhari, Kagiso “Zero my Hero” Mogale, Julius “KK” Sono and Eric “Chippa” Chauke.
He retired in 1984 and was quoted by the Greater Alex Today website as saying that the violence that encapsulated the game in those years was just too much for him.
Amakhosi paid a tribute to their former goalscoring machine on their website this week. “One of Sadike’s defining games for Chiefs came at Orlando Stadium on November 16 1974, when his brace, along with a Patrick ‘Ace’ Ntsoelengoe’s goal, gave Amakhosi a comfortable 3-0 Soweto Derby win against Orlando Pirates in the final match of the season to put the seal on Chiefs’ first ever National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) title win.
“Sadike was one of many stars of that 1974 squad, including Ntsoelengoe, Herman ‘Pele’ Blashcke, Michael ‘Bizzah’ Dlamini, Abednigo ‘Shaka’ Ngcobo, Vusi ‘Computer’ Lamola, Kaizer ‘Chincha Guluva’ Motaung and Johannes ‘Big Boy’ Kholoane. Amakhosi scored an amazing 106 goals in 30 games and Sadike scored 11 in that season. The chairman [Motaung] and the entire Amakhosi family send their sincere condolences for the sad passing of one of Chiefs’ most popular and charismatic players.”
