Former Bafana Bafana star Doctor Khumalo expressed his deep sorrow over the passing of Stan “Screamer” Tshabalala, calling it a huge blow coming just a year after Clive Barker’s death.

Orlando Pirates, where Tshabalala served as technical director, confirmed his passing on Thursday following a March shooting at his residence. The highly respected figure in South African football eventually succumbed to his injuries.

Khumalo’s debut for Bafana Bafana came under Tshabalala’s leadership in their first post-FIFA readmission game at Kings Park Stadium on 7 July 1992. Notably, Khumalo scored the winning penalty, a moment so tense that Tshabalala hid behind the advertising boards, unable to watch.

“I’m speechless,” Khumalo reflected in Durban. “It’s a sad time for South African football, losing two legends, Clive Barker and now Stan ‘Screamer’ Tshabalala, in such a short span.”

Barker, who passed away from illness last year, coached Bafana Bafana to their 1996 Africa Cup of Nations victory.

“This is the coach who gave me the opportunity to play for Bafana Bafana,” Khumalo said of Tshabalala. “I wasn’t included in the initial selection by the late Jeff Butler. But when coach Stan took over, he picked me, and I was surprised and grateful.”

“I’m deeply hurt. The last time we spoke was on 23 August 2023. He invited me to lunch, and now he’s gone. This is a significant loss for South Africa, his family, Orlando Pirates, and the fans.”

“I want to thank him for believing in me and giving me the chance to play. I wouldn’t have participated in the 1998 World Cup or the 1996 AFCON without him. He acknowledged my talent during his lifetime.”

“My condolences go out to his family.”

Khumalo chuckled when asked to share a fond memory of Tshabalala, specifically regarding the Cameroon penalty incident.

“We got a penalty, and as I walked towards the spot, I saw the coach walking away from the goal,” Khumalo recalled with a laugh. “I wondered where he was going. Turns out, he ducked under the advertising boards that had just been placed on the field.

“So, when we scored, Coach Stan was nowhere to be seen. I asked him if he saw the penalty.

“He replied, ‘My boy, it was nerve-wracking! We were facing a team with Roger Milla.'”

Khumalo recounted another anecdote: “Just before the Four Nations tournament, during training at Megawatt Park, he told Mark Williams, ‘Can you play ‘shoe shine’ and ‘piano’?’ He said it in Zulu.

“Mark Williams asked me, ‘Doctor, what does he mean?’ Tshabalala continued ‘This isn’t Hellenic where you just run. Here, we play a more technical game.’ To this day, Mark Williams hasn’t forgiven coach Stan! He didn’t play in our first game against Cameroon (in 1992) because he didn’t understand the concept of ‘shoe shine’ and ‘piano.'”

Interestingly, while Khumalo was giving the media the interview, Springbok captain Siya Kolisi disrupted the interview and offered Khumalo three tickets to watch the Springbok’s second test against Ireland on Saturday, it is the same venue Khumalo made his debut for Bafana Bafana.