After his retirement as a referee three years ago, Victor Hlungwani says his greatest advice for his sons, who have picked up the whistle from him, is to further their studies to ensure they have something to fall back on.

Hlungwani, who has refereed at least 14 Soweto derby matches, constantly urges his two sons – Ndzalama, 24, and Mfanelo, 17 – who are now referees, to still focus on their books and obtain good marks in school because in football, nothing is guaranteed.

He shares that after his matric, he went to a teaching college to get his diploma and juggled refereeing and tertiary education in 1995 as he was determined to change his family’s situation.

“I was birthed and raised by a cleaner and I told myself at a very young age that I would like to change the situation at home.

“I was adamant that I wanted nothing to do with poverty by passing with good marks and ended up going to a tertiary institution. I always tell my boys that I want them to have something to fall back on should something go wrong.

“If you get an injury, you have to stay at home and that means there won’t be any income. So, it is best they don’t heavily rely on it [refereeing]. I always had a job outside of refereeing. [Ndzalama] is already working at the ABC Motsepe League while Mfanelo is still in school and referees in Giyani,” said Hlungwani.

Ndzalama is studying mechanical engineering, he said.

Growing up in Giyani, Limpopo, the 48-year-old started playing for a local team called Khumbula Young Destroyers. But when there was no one there who wanted to be their whistleman, he volunteered to become one in 1991.

Earning only R5 per match, Hlungwani was determined to hold players responsible for their actions on the field of play. 

“When I started, I was not taken seriously at all. Some would say I was not sure of my decisions, some made fun of my boots while some complained about the fact that I was not running enough. So, I listened to all of their complaints and started running and wearing takkies, [becoming] assertive and strict as ever.

“I got compliments after that because I listened to people and fans and I could rectify what I was doing wrong and become better at what I do. 

"Everyone was happy and people started hearing about this strict referee based in Giyani and I was then approached in 1992 to join Safa [South African Football Association] locally. I was 16. I was earning R5 when I started and it was enough at the time,” he said.

Upon joining Safa, his fees hiked to R20 per match. When he completed his teaching qualification in 1997, he was refereeing in the Vodacom League, which is now called the ABC Motsepe League.

“I am proud to say that I did achieve the goal of changing the livelihoods of those who are close to me like I intended to do. Right now, my mother is one of the respected women in our community,” said Hlungwani.

He said the worst thing about being a referee is the violence they face from fans and players. Hlungwani has had his fair share of being attacked for the decisions he makes during matches.

“People think they have a right to abuse you because their team lost; when things don’t go their way, they turn to beating up referees. I also had an incident years back in Giyani, where two guys chased me and assaulted me. I had to open a case.

“They [attackers] hunted me down to come and apologise for what they did,” said Hlungwani.

His career highlights include refereeing the Soweto derby finals, Nedbank Cup and MTN8.

“My first match for the derby was in February 2010. I could not believe it. I thought they were mistaken when they picked me to do it. The match was going to take place on Saturday and by Thursday, it was announced that the tickets were sold out.

“I was so scared because of the expected spectators and even television viewers. But my colleague Walter Mochubela told me to just enjoy the match. 

"My phone was blowing up after this match. Many said I did well but I was not too sure because I was nervous,” he said.

Hlungwani said he is happy with the standard of refereeing in SA even though there are complaints from coaches and players. “There are more people expressing their dissatisfaction these days than during my time. I believe that the refereeing committee is doing a good job in keeping the standard high.

“I am also glad that our country is planning to use a video assistant referee (VAR) programme because there are a lot of players who get away with a lot and this is because the referee only has to rely on his eyes and sometimes they do not see everything. I say VAR is definitely the way to go,” he said.

Having served as a referee for 23 years, Hlungwani’s day now includes visiting the Vaal Dam in Vereeniging to show people where water is sourced and educate them about the purification of water and how chemicals are used to turn it into a drinkable resource.

“I used to work at Rand Water as a water quality facilitator and would tour schools just teaching children on how water should be valued and the processes of purification.”

ratsatsik@sowetan.co.za