Phuti Mohafe believes that all the suffering he has endured in his career has shaped him into the figure of resilience that he has become. Mohafe is getting down to business with Gallants after guiding Polokwane City to a Top Eight finish three years in a row despite all the challenges that come with working at the Limpopo club. At Polokwane, he started out as an assistant on the back of also having had a lengthy stay at Witbank Spurs, where limited resources was the order of the day. His playing career was also largely spent earning lowly in the First Division. ‘You are right, I have suffered, and I think those sufferings have brought joy in my career and planted this strong character that I now have,’ Mohafe tells KickOff when asked about suffering. ‘Those were the teachings and the hard lessons for me to learn because, at some point, I even thought of giving up. But then there were those words on the back of my mind which said, ‘If you quit, who is going to do it? And if you quit, how will you know of the next step? If you quit, then who must take your shoes?’ So, it was then that I said I mustn’t quit, and I didn’t quit,’ says Mohafe. The 52-year-old’s playing career was largely restricted to the First Division right from when the domestic top league turned into the PSL. ‘In 1996, I was doing my diploma in business management while supporting my team from home, Real Rovers, who had (George) ‘Rubber’ Mathiba, Alex Bapela, and Humphrey Sithole,’ he remembers. ‘Then, in terms of football, I was playing amateur and wasn’t even thinking of playing professionally. All I knew was that I was a good centre-back. The thought of playing professionally only came to my mind when my late father took me to trials at Moroka Swallows while playing for Mighty FC in the First Division before moving to Ria Stars, who got promoted while I was on loan. It was so unfortunate that I couldn’t sign at Swallows even though Eddie Lewis wanted me. The assistant coaches Yster Khomane and Vader Mophosho always gave me a pat on the back at Swallows and encouraged me to do well, and I tried my level best, but it wasn’t to be. I then became a journeyman until I ended up at Witbank Spurs, where my coaching career started,’ says Mohafe.