Jayiya Lives Childhood Dream

Bhongolwethu Jayiya was part of Cape Town City’s whirlwind debut season, contributing an outstanding hat-trick against Chippa United as the Citizens finished an impressive third on the Absa Premiership table. Now that he has made the incredible step up to the Glamour Boys, a life-long dream of his, the pressure to achieve has been turned up a few notches. Here he tells KICK OFF’s Lovemore Moyo about his journey to Naturena.

- Lovemore Moyo

The biggest wish that Bhongolwethu Jayiya’s parents had for their son was for him to obtain a university degree. 

They made an effort to send him to the best schools, starting him out at Blairgowrie Primary School before sending him to Potchefstroom Boys’ High School.

Not only has Jayiya excelled academically as per his parents’ demands, his football career has taken him to the family’s favourite club. Unfortunately his dad hasn’t lived long enough to see all this.

His father – Mzwandile Eddie Jayiya – was a journalist who worked for The Star newspaper and was then Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana’s spokesperson at the time of his death in August 2001, after being shot while seated in his car in Meadowlands,Soweto.

“How I wish he was here to see what I have grown to become,” says Jayiya.

“Actually, every time I get interviewed he is the first person I think of because whenever I woke up every morning he was always reading a newspaper. He was well-informed in his trade. It would have really been great for him to write about his son. I am doing everything for him and the family.”

After a brief pause at the end of paying respect to his late father, he raises his head.

“How did the son of a journalist and a school teacher end up a professional footballer?” he asks, rhetorically.

His mom – whom he talks of fondly – is still a schoolteacher at Hlakaniphani Primary School in Dlamini –the same neighbourhood in Soweto Jayiya still calls home.

“Me and my mom are tight like this (sic) and she is the one that has always been pushing me,” he says, palming his hands together for emphasis.

Of the day he put pen to paper as a Kaizer Chiefs player, Jayiya says: “Oh my mom was ecstatic.”