Coach ‘Dance’ Malesela defied dad and followed his heart

Former football player and well-travelled coach Dan “Dance” Malesela’s dream to become a sportsman was realised when he was  in primary school. 

With a networker and well-connected father, Malesela would have had a lot of job opportunities outside the sports field. His father wanted him to study and have a qualification that would secure him a job.

But Malesela instead chose to pursue football as his first love. “My father thought I would go to study and he would get me a nine-to-five job but I wasn’t keen on a mainstream career, so I followed my heart,” Malesela told Sowetan.

“My mother, on the other hand, was an athlete, so for her to support me it was a bit easy.” 

His father only came to accept Malesela’s chosen career path and talent when he saw his son on television during a soccer match.

“The first time he saw me playing on TV, he acknowledged to me that he could see my talent and that I was very good at what I was doing,” he laughed.

The 57-year-old former defender is the last born in his family and only surviving sibling. He lost two sisters and a brother he grew up with in Atteridgeville, Tshwane, where he was born.

Malesela has, throughout the years, spearheaded various clubs as a coach. He has been without a club since departing from Marumo Gallants earlier this year.

He says there are some clubs that find it difficult to employ him n though he has done his job at other clubs and served with integrity and a solution-driven attitude. 

“I get bored when people tell me about problems and dwell on them. I always seek solutions. You will progress in life with solutions. I always have this approach towards problems. I hate meetings,” Malesela said. 

Though he contributed to some of the Premier Soccer League and National First Division clubs as a coach, team manager or player, he says he believes in leading a simple life. 

“I don’t like being around people whom I can overpower with status or money. I have a few friends. I don’t go to any fancy places or even malls. When I go out, some people want to take pictures with me, so sometimes I avoid that,” he added.

Malesela said his focus was now on designing a football school using his skills as a talent scout because he wishes to improve the quality of the sport. 

“Our football lacks quality centre-backs and goalkeepers. We have a lot of foreign goalkeepers. We used to have a lot of effective strikers and I don’t know where they’ve gone to. Kids these days prefer TV, for those who play as goalkeepers in the streets must use bricks as goalposts,” he said. 

His punctuality at training throughout the years has given him the ability to rather read players’ energy and state of mind before the matches.

“Those who I’ve worked closely with will tell you that I used to be the first one to arrive because I always want to know what I’m dealing with. I can see when a player has had a rough night or didn’t sleep,” he said. 

“I have my wife and children but I don’t spend much time with them because I’m always away dealing with football things. My wife has come to understand my work because she even makes comments whenever we’re watching games.” 

During his tenure as the coach of TS Galaxy, Malesela led the club to success in the Nedbank Cup final when the club defeated Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 in 2019. 

“Except being Orlando Pirates captain at the age of 22, that win was the highlight of my career. I mean it was me, a boy from Pretoria, I couldn’t believe it at the time,” he said.