Rodwell Dhlakama, a father to lost boys

THE late legendary American basketball coach, John Wooden once said those who really want to make the most of the talent at their disposal should have the desire to improve and a good work ethic to make themselves even better.

Talent alone is not good enough; one needs to apply themselves fully to get the best possible results. With talent, there should be hard work and dedication.

However, some talents tend to go down the drain.

In sport, especially football, there are bad boys who, however, possess immense talent. Talented as they are, sometimes their behaviours off the field often lead to an abrupt end to what would have been illustrious careers.

One thing has been at the centre of these players’ downfalls and that is drug and substance abuse. Drug abuse has destroyed many promising careers. Zimbabwean football has not been spared. The local scene witnessed some talents go down the drain due to substance abuse.

When one turns to substance abuse, “throwing” their careers down the drain, the society tends to turn a blind eye and just watch on.

Everybody deserves a second chance, that final opportunity to redemption and one man who knows that very well is Castle Lager Premier Soccer League outfit, GreenFuel’s head coach Rodwell Dhlakama.

It seems saving lost boys is another thing Dhlakama has mastered apart from dishing instructions from the technical bench. He seems not to give up on talented boys who made wrong decisions in their careers.

Many will remember the name, Last Jesi and probably be aware of the turn his career took not so long ago. Jesi, a talented midfielder, saw his career go down due to substance abuse.

From being the poster boy of Zimbabwean football to being a villain whose career was derailed by addiction after moving to Sudanese powerhouse, Al Hilal. Well, Jesi is back in the pack with Dhlakama and GreenFuel.

There were fears that Jesi’s career would be over soon. He was once kicked out of Ngezi Platinum Stars for being a “bad influence to their youthful project”. As if that was not enough, at Bulawayo Chiefs, where he was given another lifeline, the midfielder “disappeared” after just a couple of matches.

The then Amakhosi coach, Lizwe Sweswe felt that the midfielder desperately needed rehabilitation to fight “the demons”.

Was that the last we have seen of Jesi after his short stint at Chiefs?

Well, the talented midfielder is back on the scene and one man is determined to give him all the support and that is Dhlakama. Jesi was an unused substitute in GreenFuel’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of Chicken Inn in a Chibuku Super Cup encounter played at Luveve Stadium last Saturday.

Dhlakama still has belief in the talented player and is not willing to see his career just go away like that. He is confident that soon, after regaining his form and fitness, Jesi might get a dance with the Warriors as he is good enough.

“Pure talent, what is lacking now is his fitness component. We just need to work on that, otherwise he is a rare talent so we cannot just throw that talent in the dustbin. We are there as coaches, as managers and as fathers as well to work and ensure that such talent doesn’t go to waste.

“The national teams are just knocking by the door and he has to just look in and also try to compete for the jersey otherwise he is an important asset for us,” said Dhlakama after the game against Chicken Inn.

Jesi is not the only talented bad boy that Dhlakama has fathered.

Last month, Dynamos’ midfielder Denver Mukamba burst into tears when he met Dhlakama in a league encounter between DeMbare and GreenFuel which the latter went on to win 1-0. The midfielder credits his revival to his former gaffer.

Mukamba, who sees Dhlakama as a father is quoted saying: “People were saying many things about my life and I never thought I was going to play at the top level again but Dhlakama made me believe in myself again. If it wasn’t for him, maybe, I would have retired the same season which he signed me.

“But he came to me and taught me things about life. I think if I had received such information at the earliest stages of my career, I could have done better in my life. I will forever be grateful to him and my family has utmost respect for what he did for us.

“Sometimes, when you consider all those things it becomes difficult to take it lightly, I tried to hide my tears but it just happened.”

The DeMbare man was named player of the year in 2012 and soon after, he joined South African outfit Bidvest Wits where he struggled for game time. He was then loaned to University of Pretoria and Jomo Cosmos. His time in South Africa is said to have been characterised by an “unhealthy” lifestyle.

He returned to Zimbabwe and even after that, he earned himself the title of bad boy. With everyone having turned their backs on him, it was Dhlakama who gave him a second chance to redeem himself.

Dhlakama brought Mukamba to Chapungu, when everyone in the game appeared to have turned their back on the forward. He also took the mesmerising midfielder to Ngezi Platinum Stars.

Dhlakama appears to be a man who knows how to handle troubled players. –@brandon_malvin