By Nothando Mtshali
It was a celebration line no other inside Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium as Kaizer Chiefs broke a spell of over a decade when they arch-rivals Orlando Pirates to win the Nedbank Cup for the very first time.
Ten minutes into the first half, Chiefs got one in through Gaston Sirino’s penalty. You would have thought it was over as the stadium got into a massive roar. The celebration wasn’t to last for very long as Evidence Makgopa answered for Orlando Pirates just seven minutes later to make it one all.
The score was level until just ten minutes before the end of the match when Yusuf Maart got a decider in for Chiefs..
This was the Phefeni Boys’ first cup win in eleven years. “This is the best day of my life! We’ve been waiting so long for this,” said Nokuthula Dlamini, a die-hard Amakhosi supporter from Umlazi.
Others echoed her joy. “After all the ups and downs, this win means everything. You can see it on every supporter’s face we needed this,” added Thulani Mthembu, who attended the final draped in Chiefs regalia from head to toe.
The mood was sombre for Pirates fans. “We played well, but football is unpredictable. Chiefs took their chances, and they deserved it,” said Sizwe Makhathini, an Orlando Pirates fan from KwaMashu.
“These hurts because it’s against Chiefs, but we’ll come back stronger” said Lebo Ramotswe as he wiped away his tears.
Fans left the stadium to spill over to the streets of Durban where there was singing, car hooters and flags waving all over.
