Kgatlana's parents told her to stay with team despite family members' death

Three days before Banyana Banyana played in their first game against Sweden, Thembi Kgatlana desperately wanted to come home when she heard that her beloved aunt had died. 

Kgatlana’s mother, Koko Kgatlana, related the story of how she called the Banyana striker on July 20 to tell her of the bereavement and she could hear her pain. . 

“When we called Thembi to tell her that Mamogolo Jane [Mukosi] had passed on, she started crying over the phone and it was very hard to hear, especially because she was very far from us and there was nothing she could do,” said Koko. 

“I told her that she must stay there and that she must continue to play because that is her job.”

Mukosi, 62, and Kgatlana – who scored the winning goal against Italy  to send Banyana into the last 16 of the World Cup yesterday – shared a strong bond since the striker was born, according to her mother. .

“Jane practically raised her; from the beginning she was there and her and Thembi were close. Every time that Thembi would come back to visit, she would spend most of her time visiting her aunt and they would do everything together. She would always tell me, ‘Mama I’m going to visit Mamogolo’ and then she would be gone,” Kgatlana’s mother said. 

Yesterday, after Banyana’s triumph against Italy in the final group match in New Zealand, Kgatlana opened up about losing three family members and a thought of leaving camp crossing her mind.

“So emotional, you know. I have been in camp pushing everyday. Over the last three weeks I have lost three family members, I could have gone home but I chose to stay with my girls because that’s how much it means,” Kgatlana said in a post-match interview.

Her mother yesterday recalled a time when Mukosi and Thembi were on a call with each other just days before Mukosi’s passing. 

“They spoke on the phone via video call, and they were laughing. Jane even told Thembi that she had put aside R200 for Thembi so that when she comes back, they would go out and celebrate through lunch ... and that’s what hurts the most, her aunt won’t enjoy that lunch with her,” said Koko. 

Just two weeks before Mukosi’s death, Kgatlana had lost two other relatives – weeks apart. 

“Her aunt from her father’s side, Dorkas Nqauku, who was 62, passed away on the week of July 6. She was very sick, and so when we called Thembi about her death, she was hurt but understood that aunt Dorkas had been very sick,” said her mother.

“Kgatlana and Nqauku were church buddies at the Roman Catholic, they went to church together especially when Thembi was not busy. She would always join her aunt at her church and always support her, especially considering her aunt was part of the choir.” 

Another Kgatlana relative, her great-aunt Tryphena Sakolo, who was 100 years old, died a week after Nqauku's death. 

“Thembi didn’t quite know her great-aunt, she lived quite far from all of us, and they rarely interacted but it was still sad to deliver the news,” said Koko, adding that it was very sad to have to tell her daughter about all the deaths in the family. 

Kgatlana’s father Matlhomola told Sowetan yesterday that the family had to persuade their daughter not to leave camp and come home, especially ahead of the Sweden game.

“l told her to be strong and that a job is a job,” said Matlhomola.  “What can one do, you can’t drop everything, and I told her that it’s okay and when she comes back we will take her to their graves so that she can say her goodbyes. I said to her this is not the first time that she has lost a family member. She lost her great-uncle while outside the country.” 

Both parents said they followed Banyana’s game against Italy apart at their workplaces yesterday. Her mother was working at the local orphanage and was listening to the game on radio with her colleagues. 

“Everyone was gathered around the phone, listening to what was happening. We kept jumping around and we were very happy when they won, we knew they would win,” said Koko.