Soccer club pays tribute to fallen founder

“Events of Great consequence often spring from trifling circumstances” – Titus Livy

Victor Mathane a retired educator and founder member of the William Pescod Athletic Football Team passed on to higher service on August 23 2024 after a long illness bravely borne.

He completed his teacher’s diploma at the Perseverance Teachers Training College and went on to complete his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Orange Free State.

Mathane’s teaching career started at William Pescod High School and he immediately immersed himself in the arduous task of ensuring the holistic development of the learners. Sport and physical education was his speciality and he left no stone unturned to extricate and develop new talent not only at the school throughout the Province.

The young educator’s search for talent was not limited to sports; he also had a profound love for music, arts, and culture. Through his discerning eye, no talent went unnoticed.

He played a pivotal role in discovering the boy band “The Young Ones,” who, under the astute and gifted leadership of Victor Khojane, evolved into the formidable brand known today as Dr. Victor and the Rasta Rebels.

His nurturing and caring nature underpinned by his selfless efforts produced sportsmen like Allistair Fredericks, the first South African player of colour, Jan Greef and Gary Bruce who emerged as leaders at Veld and Vlei, Norman Smith who played in the PSL and many others.

The establishment of the William Pescod Soccer Club in 1975, a year in which the club was only a school team, saw them win the school’s league under the captaincy of Norman Khojane. This team defeated every High School, their main opponents being Tsireleco, Saint Boniface and Floors High.

Pescod was also the only team as demarcated in a so-called ‘Coloured’ area which transcended the racial borders as per the ethnic demarcations of the group areas act. Mr Vic would arrange for his team to play against schools from the No.2 Location, Thsireleco, St Boniface, Thabane, Dr Block (Bloemfontein), Colinda (Vryburg) and others.

When the school team embarked on that historic campaign in 1976 to play in the open community league it was Mr Vic who led from the front to defy that paradigm of a school could not play in the most senior league of the province. He refused to restrict the talent of his dream team to be subjected to a status defined by the old apartheid system.

The mistaken belief that schoolboys were not up to the standard of the senior teams was almost instantly discarded when William Pescod AFC won the Super League in their debut season. The ideology, vision and mission of Mr Vic unfolded to yield significant results as the team evolved.

Mr Vic developed an overnight insatiable appetite for football development even though his background was karate, cycling and rugby. He was fortunate to inherit a cohort of players from largely disadvantaged backgrounds, who found great delight in soccer.

He served on the executive committee of the Griqualand West Primary and Senior schools Sport Association ably assisted by others. Their collective efforts culminated in the glory of Kimberley being selected to host the 1977 Inter-provincial South African Schools Soccer Tournament at the De Beers Stadium under the ambit of the Kimberley Senior Schools Sport Union. The bulk of the Griqualand West Senior Schools teams came from William Pescod High School.

The pinnacle of his career under the ambit of the South African Soccer Federation the SACOC affiliated structure, was when the team won the league and went on to campaign in the Benson and Hedges (sponsored League) the following year. This was a semi-professional league, one tier below the South African Federation Professional League. (FPL).

Mr Vic covered all spheres of the team’s development from practise sessions (Monday to Thursday), attending Board meetings, making sure that we have representatives at the GW Referee meetings and the holistic development of his students.

He was a sports administrator par excellence and quintessential coach. His coaching skills were underpinned by that passion and tenacity to bring out the best in every young player and he would often go the extra mile to ensure excellence and nurture talent.

The likes of Darryl Christians, Godfrey Erlank, Greg Rosier, Roderick Straus, Hilton Adams, Charles Amsterdam, Hans Jansen, the Wilkinson brothers Owen, Eric, Deon, François and others who ably complimented the squad was Mr Vic`s prodigies.

This team excelled to win the GWSB league the knock-out competitions and was well renowned for excellence and they were a real crowd puller. These accolades were largely due to the selfless efforts of our great legend Mr Vic Mathane. He was now known as Mr Soccer the educator with a fine eye to spot soccer talent.

Every group of youngsters who entered the team was followed by others as Mr Vic would scout for young talent and in his own way nurture and develop these players.

One of the first to attend coaching courses with Horst Krieta accompanied by Owen De Gama and Boebie Solomans, his contemporaries. His coaching methods back then were light years ahead of many others.

Mr Vic was the first coach under the unified structure of SAFA to achieve his level 2 coaching qualification and was appointed by SAFA as the Provincial Coach.

Our great leader and Icon Victor Methane gave his life, his time and so much to the community especially football.

Your contribution to soccer and all sport spanned nearly five decades and so little has been done to acknowledge your sterling contribution.

Your life was symbolic of food that fed our passions and nourished our souls with the legacy that will always resonate and impact our lives.

You certainly strived to make the circumstances of oppression insignificant by infusing that pride and joy within your players and athletes.

Long live that wonderful spirit of a great educator, sportsman, sport administrator and true son of the soil.

We thank you!

FRD Moses (Founder member, former player/administrator)

Some of the Highlight of Victorious Victor`s William Pescod dream teams:

• 1975 Winners of the High School League KSSSU

• 1976 First school team in the history of Griqualand West to play in an open league

• 1976 Winners of the GWSB super league

1977 Team played in the first semi-professional league

• 1978 Winners of the Benson and Hedges League (they were destined to play in the South African Federation Professional League FPL)

• 1979 Winners of the Bob save FNB competition

• First Team to play in the SAFA 2nd Division under the unified structure