Ex-Chiefs defender Sweswe urges Zim footballers to follow Katsande’s footsteps 

Ex-Kaizer Chiefs defender Thomas Sweswe says Zimbabwean footballers must emulate Willard Katsande, who set up businesses to secure his future after retirement.

At the age of 36, the former Ajax Cape Town and Kaizer Chiefs midfielder, Katsande, ended his illustrious career prior to the start of the current season, having been in the books of Sekhukune United.

Katsande took the bold decision to retire after successfully setting up two business ventures that have been going from strength to strength since inception.

And for Sweswe, Zimbabwean footballers ought to follow in Katsande’s footsteps to improve their plight.

KATSANDE A GOOD EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW

It has sadly become a common phenomenon that former footballers in the Southern African nation go broke soon after hanging their boots, but Sweswe reckons that Katsande set a perfect example of how that narrative can be changed.

“Life after the game has to be prepared for. Katsande did it well, and I think everyone should emulate and get inspiration for him. He was part of us, and surely many can do as he did so that the narrative changes.

“Whether small or big, it’s wise to start something that will help you survive after retirement. Families need to be fed. Not everyone can be a businessman or businesswoman, but we can all have different and legal means of surviving.

SWESWE HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION

“What we now need is educating our players to develop those skills to be able to manage themselves and their finances with the future in mind,” Sweswe told FARPost.

Sweswe is the secretary-general at the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe [FUZ]. This organisation strives to uphold and maintain the ethics of football while also advocating for integrity of players and their welfare.

His remarks come a few days after former SuperSport defender Nyasha Chazika opened up on how he plunged into poverty after retirement.

Chazika has been struggling to make ends meet since the end of his professional career in 2009.

For Katsande, though, the fashion business has blossomed since he started it last year, having widened to include branded hoodies and jackets for both men and women.

He is also going from strength to strength in his construction business, which has gone beyond providing ordinary building services to several other indoor services, including plumbing and kitchen installation.

Former Dynamos goalkeeper Artwell Mukandi is another player who has done exceptionally well after hanging boots, having set up a solar systems and electrical gadgets business in Harare.

Mukandi was forced into retirement because of recurring injuries during his time at Dynamos.