From disappointing time at Kaizer Chiefs to signing his first professional senior team contract after impressive outings at AT Mambas, meet the young Onthatile Kasuku.
Born in Pretoria in the year 2005, Kasuku moved to Rustenburg at the tender age of eight months before later discovering the love for the game while playing in the dusty fields of the Lerome village in Rustenburg, North West.
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His passion for football grew, and his dream of one day playing for the best clubs in the country was few steps from becoming a reality, after he shined for his school Comcy Park Primary, as he managed to win back-to-back Comcy Park Primary player of the year for the year 2019 and 2020.
His success at the Primary School was followed by a move back to Pretoria where he struggled to land clubs to further his career, and had to rely on school competitions like Kay Motsepe League to showcase his talent.
His time at Acudeo Thornview College improved his football immensely, which led to the tricky winger getting an opportunity he was looking for when relocating back to Pretoria.
He played the Curro Thatchfield tournament at the Curro Thatchfield High School and was scouted by Chiefs to play for the Academy side in the year 2021.
“Since I was only playing school football and our school played many tournaments, the exposure there was fair,” Onthatile Kasuku told The CoverUp.
“We played at (Curro Thatchfield High School in the Curro Thatchfield Tournament), we played a tournament there, and it was also televised(Supersport Schools).
“The tournament[the name of the tournament] we were playing, we had to leave our details there in case anyone has scouted us.
“We did that, and I remember (that) after two weeks, I got an email from Seereta(an admin at Chiefs) saying I should be at Naturena(Kaizer Chiefs village) at 3 (pm) and I was at school and they wanted me on the same day, so I had to leave school early around 1 (pm) to go there.”
Xavi, as he is known to those around him, went on to have a successful trial stint at the club and joined the club, but his time at the club didn’t go as he would have hoped and wished.
“I trialed for like three weeks, and the fourth week I was signed, but the season(Gauteng Development League season) hadn’t started yet, so it was still pre-season.
“Two games into the league (season), I got an (knee) injury that took me out the whole season. I think it was like eight months. I got back the following season, and that was last year in the under-17(the previous season), so I went to the under-19s.
“I played half of the games, and I was underperforming, and last year(2023), that’s when they released me because I couldn’t go to the DDC(Dstv Diski Challenge).
“Kaizer Chiefs mostly they play with youngsters(in the GDL), so if you are getting (and) you are not going to the DDC, they cut you. These things happened between 2021 and 2022, and I got released in 2023.”
After being released by Chiefs in September 2023, the youngster became clubless for four months before AT Mambas came calling after they saw him play in the Kings Cup under-23 tournament in Ga-Rankuwa for Boca Juniors.
One of Mambas’ hierarchy, (Mr. Sammy) invited the 18-year-old for an assessment during one of the December tournaments, but he couldn’t make it due to personal issues.
But he initially had to have his tryout with the club in The Road To Shaka Easter Tournament in Shoshanguve, where he was became the youngest player to play for the club since 2017 and was also handed the jersey number 10 by the club’s legendary player Tsheponyana Diketso popularly known as Pilisi.
To add to the pressure of playing in front of huge crowds due to Mambas’ popularity around Gauteng townships, they were playing against his former club, the Chili Boys FC, in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
With the pressure high, he went to produce a life changing performance that he called ‘best performance of his life’.
“During my first game for Mambas, I played against my former team, Chili Boys FC, in the quarterfinals of the tournament,” Kasuku stated.
“The feeling of playing for Mambas in front of big crowds increased the pressure, but as the match went on, the support and love I got from the Mambas fans, propelled me to have one of the best games of my life.”
Playing alongside the likes Xolani Nkala, aka Blackberry, Tony Kgorokge, and Pilisi in front of a huge crowd, left those in attendance in awe of his displays despite 3-2 defeat.
Despite the loss, his performance saw him earn his first professional senior team contract with an ABC Motsepe League side based in North West.
Thaba Tshwane FC signed Kasuku after a single session after he chose to turn down an offer from Lerumo Lions, also found in the ABC Motsepe League in North West.
He joined Thaba Tshwane in January 2024 and went on to register three goals and five assist in nine matches he played in the third division of South African football leading to a third place finish in the Stream A.
Despite making the move to the ABC Motsepe League side, the move to Mambas after his time dissapointing time at Chiefs has changed the youngster’s life, as multiple football personnel across the country are noticing his talent.
However, despite the recently found fame in the Townships of South Africa, Kasuku doesn’t want his career to end in the Township and be known as a ‘Kasi Legend’ like some of his childhood role models like Tshepo Matete aka Skwama and Blackberry.
He intends to one day play for big clubs in Europe and Africa like Real Madrid and Al Ahly SC, just to name a few.
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Kasuku, like every young person in the country, has a dream, but his dream is on his dazzling feet and what he does with it, It’s totally up to him.