After a few matches with the Soweto giants in 2008, his career was shaken when he suffered a knee injury that almost permanently took him out of the game. The doctors had brought the bad news that he would not be able to play professional football because the injury was serious and stubborn. How, when was it supposed to start?
His mother, who taught him to believe in God and pray, was not going to let her son’s career go to waste at such a young age.
“MMy family believed in God so much that we prayed and I didn’t get up in a short time and play again. We went two days without eating or even drinking water. The injury is gone after that.
“When Ruud Krol came in as coach he was reluctant to play with me and went to play a game without me. When they came back from their game he tried me in a friendly match and during that match he replaced other players but I played all 90 minutes. After that I played all season and more seasons.”
He is one of the club’s most successful captains, as he has won He achieved trebles in both seasons starting in 2011 and 2012. He was voted Gauteng Sports Personality of the Year and a great captain in South African football.
Besides training young boys from time to time, he now focuses on his clothing label, Fantastic 14 or F14. He also runs his own food restaurant called Grotmann’s Restaurant, based in Southdale, south of Joburg. Our delicious sauces and seasonings are now sold at select Shoprite stores.
Lekgwathi is all about working hard after retiring smartly and he shows no signs that he can be stopped.