Durban City coach Simo Dladla has expressed his gratitude to the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), the club’s partner, for providing them with psychological support during their recent traumatic experience.

City delivered a strong performance, defeating Pretoria Callies 3-0 at Chatsworth Stadium on Friday. This victory came just three days after the tragic passing of Sinamandla Zondi, who collapsed on the pitch on Tuesday, 22 April, during a match against Milford FC at the same venue in Durban.

The game against Milford was immediately suspended. Following consultations with Zondi’s family and the PSL, the club decided it was best to proceed with the match against Pretoria Callies on Friday.

This decision aimed to avoid accumulating too many outstanding fixtures, which could have allowed their promotion rivals to close the gap.

Given the painful circumstances and the fact that the match was played at the same ground where Zondi collapsed, Durban City’s decisive 3-0 victory over Callies suggests that the psychologist’s intervention with the players had a positive impact.

This win propelled City, who were rebranded from Maritzburg United at the beginning of the season, to 49 points after 26 matches. They now hold a three-point lead over second-placed Orbit College, with a game in hand.

“We had a professional, a psychologist, and we are thankful to UKZN for their partnership,” said Dladla. “They sent us a professional to speak with us. We spent an entire day with the lady, and we realized that delaying our return to play for too long would risk us losing our top position, putting us under immense pressure.”

“Together with the players, we decided that we wanted to honor ‘Sgora’ and continue fighting for promotion. We believed he would have wanted us to play, and that was our decision. The motivation stemmed from the fear of losing our number one spot and, more importantly, from our desire to honor Sgora.”

Zondi was laid to rest on Saturday, the day after Durban City’s victory over Pretoria Callies.

Dladla then shared his personal relationship with the late Zondi.

“When I first joined here as an assistant to coach Zipho Dlangalala, Sgora wasn’t playing regularly,” Dladla recalled. “He was often disheartened because of it. My philosophy as a coach is to reward hardworking players who can effectively implement our tactical structure, which emphasizes organization. This came naturally to him because he was a dedicated worker and adapted easily.”

“As he played more consistently, his confidence grew. If I had to describe my relationship with Sgora, it was like that of a father and son. He was inexplicably scared of me; he rarely spoke to me. However, on our return from a game in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), he approached me and spoke, feeling responsible for a mistake that led to us conceding a goal.”

“That was our first proper conversation in 18 months. I encouraged him, and he bounced back, becoming a regular player and a tireless worker who required no extra motivation. I would give him instructions, and he would execute them perfectly. His passing is a significant loss for us. He wasn’t a talkative person, but his attitude towards training and matches was exceptional. He had a positive influence on those around him. In terms of work rate, Sgora consistently covered at least 13 kilometers in every game, which is why he was always on the pitch.”

Durban City will now face JDR Stars at Giant Stadium on Sunday. Another victory there would bring them closer to securing promotion for next season.