Big farewell for Maningo Thuketana
He is rated amongst soccer legends
THE funeral service of the late Maningo Thuketani one of the legendary soccer players to hail from the Tzaneen area in Limpopo turned out to be the celebration of a player who was loved by all.
Born on April 8 1961, Edward Marivate Maningo Thuketani he died on November 11 after a short illness.
At the funeral service held at Bankuna hall on Saturday, speaker after speaker talked glowingly of his life.
His highlights were at Bankuna Big XV that featured in the Inland Stream of the National Professional League where he forged an amazing combination with the late Eric Chippa Chauke who later starred for Orlando Pirates.
Fellow legend Hendry Disco Shikwambane who played with him at the legendary Bankuna Big XV and later at Tivumbeni College of Education where they trained as teachers put a good word for his late team mate.
Speaking as a friend, Shikwambane remembered something about the late Maningo which he said he found remarkable.
“”In class, he sat on the front row and even when we travelled by bus or kombi to a game he sat on the front row, “he said.
He said that showed leadership even during training when we did three by three; he used to be in front.
This means he led from the front
“He was a born leader and was a captain wherever he was my teammate even though there were older players,” he said.
Solo Tihuhlu who was his team mate at Big 1V said Maningo joined the team at the pinnacle of its glory while it was playing in the Inland Stream of the National Professional League, the forerunner of the NSL, and featured many top stars but he was a regular player as a key midfielder and was ever replaced.
“The stream comprised teams such as Mamelodi United, Seshego Saints, Seshego City Carlton and Pretoria Callies but Big 1V held their own against the best, thanks to players like Maningo,” he said.
His coach at Big 1V the legendary Manghavia Mathonsi now a professional boxing promote coached Maningo at Big 1X.
“I later recruited Maningo and Disco Shikwambane to the Gazankulu government as sports administrators,” said Mathonsi who spoke as a colleague.
He is survived by his wife Brenda and six children,
