It was a full-circle moment for South African assistant referee Zakhele Siwela when he was running the line during the Africa Cup of Nations final between Egypt and Senegal last weekend.

In the final, compatriot Victor Gomes was at the centre of the game, while Siwela was flagging on one side and Souru Phatsoane, of Lesotho, was on the other side.

For Siwela, who started officiating matches in the late 1990s as a teenager at local association level, the Afcon final in Cameroon was the pinnacle of his career. And it's not as though he's short of experience, having done the CAF Champions League final, CAF Confederation Cup final, CAF Super Cup and even being part of the Arab Cup previously.  

Safa held a welcoming press conference yesterday to pay homage to the achievements of Gomes and Siwela. 

"Cameroon was a tournament to remember for both Victor and me. We eventually made it to the last game. The build-up to Cameroon was special because we spoke and said we are going to the final. I said to him, let's take it one match at a time," said Siwela. 

"We prepared very well for every game. It was OK for us until I contracted malaria towards the quarterfinal between Senegal and Equatorial Guinea. I got medical attention and three days down the line I was better. 

"When we got the news we were doing the final, we were excited. We looked around the room and there were people more likely to do the final. When we were chosen, we said 'It's ours now, let's give it our best" and fortunately we did that exactly. We played the final with no problem," said Siwela. 

The journey for Siwela began in Alexandra, Johannesburg, when he was nudged towards refereeing by his mentors Russell Mojapelo and the late Herman Nkuna after they spotted he had more talent as an official than as a player.

Since then he's never looked back and has dedicated himself to officiating, doing it on a full-time basis at the moment. He credits Mojapelo and Nkuna and many more for his success. "From where I come from, I knew that one day I will be the best and be a top referee," said Siwela.  

"When I started I found that this runs in the blood, it was an easy thing to flow. They told me to get into refereeing and I will go far. They told me to forget about football and focus on refereeing. 

Today when I'm going to do a big match, I always remember those two people, they pushed me and showed me the light when I didn't see it. It was dark," he said. 

Now the next objective for Siwela is officiating in a Fifa World Cup, with a set for later this year, he has every intention of getting a gig at the Qatar World Cup."