He was arguably the finest natural striker produced in South African soccer. The legendary Thomas Hlongwane, known by the descriptive and singular nickname of “Who’s Fooling Who?” is no more.
He died in the early hours of Saturday morning in his mid-40s at his home in Mabopane.
He was initially discovered at Arcadia by current Jomo Cosmos development coach, Roy Matthews, and held a position as Mamelodi Sundowns’s under-17 development coach at the time of his death.
But he will not be forgotten for his breathtaking scoring feats with Moroka Swallows in the 1980s alongside other great players such as Ace Mnini, Aubrey “The Great” Makgopela, Aaron “Road Block” Makgopela, Mario Varas, Chippa Molatedi and Samuel “Happy Cow” Mnkomo.
“To me he was a complete striker and a magnificent person who could do incredible tricks with the ball,” said recently-appointed Sundowns coach Gordon Igesund.
Hlongwane would surely have shaped for himself an auspicious international career had his playing time not coincided with South Africa’s expulsion from Fifa.
And charismatic Chilean-born coach, Mario “The Godfather” Tuani, under whose tutelage Hlongwane played at Swallows, says he would have been “a star anywhere in the world if given the opportunity”.
Possessing an assortment of varied talents, he was lethal in his shooting, had stunning acceleration, superb ball control and a rare positional acumen.
Like many of the great South African soccer players of the past, he was diabolically neglected until former Sundowns chief executive officer Natasha Tsichlas took a hand in his well-being when he first became ill about seven years ago—and he was employed recently as a development coach for Sundowns.
In a brief obituary on the Swallows’ website, Hlongwane is referred to as the Sundowns’ development coach—and no mention is made of him ever having played for the club during their golden era. - Sapa
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