Makhado-based traffic officer Tshikhudo "Sputla" Makhuvha said he remembered the good old days, back when he was still the dribbling wizard for Makhuvha Up The Ants FC.
In his heydays, Makhuvha was known for his clever techniques on the soccer field, dribbling past his opponents like a hot knife going through butter, leaving defenders colliding with each other whenever he had the ball at his feet.
He started playing football at the tender age of five years but made his mark in the local football fraternity when he joined Up the Ants in 1986. "I vividly remember my debut game against the more fancied Masikhwa Youngsters. I was playing barefoot and had to release balls very fast to avoid being kicked by those wearing football boots. I scored two goals and we managed to boot them out of the competition," he said.
Between 1992 and 1994, he was a prominent feature on Mirror's sports pages. The game that many local soccer fans will never forget is the Munambelo Knockout Final between Up The Ants and Vondwe II Bullets, which was played at the Matangari Sports Grounds in 1992. Bullets had stars in the mould of Aifheli "Magic" Ratshivhadelo, Elias Ndiitwani and Toki "Vhakoma" Doyoyo. His best performance was seen in the last five minutes of the game, when Ants were trailing by one goal. Makhuvha received the ball on the left flank, dribbled past four defenders and packed them in like sardines before he equalised with a ground cutter.
When asked about that goal, he said he was just as amazed as everyone else by the way he had opened up the opponents' defence. "When I received that ball, I told myself that I had to go at them and take them head-on fast. To be honest, I don't remember how I did it. I remember leaving them sprawled on the ground and I took a shot without even looking at the goalkeeper. All of a sudden, there was a large noise from the crowd and I realised that I had scored," he said.
Makhuvha is now a traffic cop based in Makhado. Instead of being chased by defenders, he is now chasing traffic offenders. "Like I used to do on the field, I don't care whether I know you or not. If I catch you on the wrong side of the law, you get what you deserve right on the spot," he said.