Sekhukhune United head coach Brandon Truter admits his journey to the elite level of South African football wasn’t pretty and at one point he hitchhiked to a coaching course.
Truter burst onto the top-flight scene after winning the second-tier with Swallows FC and they finished as high as fourth in their first season.
It’s been a tumultuous journey since then as he parted ways with the Dube Birds and since landed roles with AmaZulu and now Babina Noko over the past two seasons.
His road to the DStv Premiership saw him coaching at every level in local football, starting from amateur and youth coaching – from Santos, iKapa Sporting, Glendene United and eventually All Stars and Richards Bay in the National First Division.
“Ja… look, I have coached in every division. Amateur, academy youth level, SAB League, ABC, NFD, every division, and I did my coaching badges and this was done when I had no money, it was tough,” Truter told iDiski Times.
“I couldn’t travel at times but thank God for putting people in my path that God sent. There were times I hitchhiked to Joburg because there was no money for travel.
“I will never forget, during that stage my wife’s parents died and I couldn’t make their funeral as there was no money to get back [to Cape Town]. I slept outside hotels, but the bright side is I arrived early! So many times in Pretoria, Edenvale, wherever the courses were, I found a way to be there.
“The dream and belief of getting where I am wasn’t easy, so many obstacles, and so many rough patches but with perseverance and belief, that’s why I am where I am today.”
Truter has enjoyed an impressive start to life with Sekhukhune after taking the club over in 15th place – with four wins, a draw and one defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns last week.
You can read his full interview in the free digital version of edition 88 of the iDiski Times newspaper:
