There's brotherhood beyond position rivalry.

Today we celebrate Kagiso Ramadivhane known to many as 'Jessica' and to some as 'Flava' . He was born and bred in Pretoria where he started his primary school at Loretto School Queenswoood from grade R all the way to grand 7 before crossing the road to start and complete his high school at Clapham high school. Post his matric, he then decided to further his studies at Tswane University of Technology (TUT) where during his stay there he got an opportunity to jump ship and join the North West University (NWU) where he is currently doing his final year of coaching science.

He describes his football journey as one that is really basic but eventful one, "most of us had soccer as one of the sports offered by our primary schools so there was nothing different with me, I was part of the primary school team where I’d form part of the team every year with mates my age. During my primary school experience I was lucky enough to be part of the AmaTuks junior team for about a year or two before my parents told me to focus more on the books because I was slacking a bit on that side. Going to Clapham high school that then became my new home where I then grew in leaps and bounds."

" I got an opportunity to train with Mamelodi Sundowns academy team where Coach Rhulani Mokoena was the head coach. Sometimes I'd ask myself why I was there because for some reason I didn’t think I was good enough ,I didn't know or even understand why was I given that opportunity but I’m grateful. Post high school I then played for a Local Football Association (LFA) called Orchards United, those were the fun days you'd play through and through without worrying about any life stressors. After playing for orchards United I joined Sunnyside blue stars which at the time played in the SAB league. All this was before I joined NWU Mafikeng" he said.

In 2017 Ramadivhane was part of the Nedbank Ke Yona team search, he shares his experience with us "the ke yona team search experience is one that I will live to cherish for years to come. You know sometimes all you need as a player is that one opportunity to be seen and it could change everything, I personally believe South Africa is blessed with overflowing talent so the Ke Yona team search is something that comes in to help young athletes to come and learn from the best and try putting that into play on both on and off the field. However, we need to bare in mind that the Nedbank Ke Yona team search does not guarantee you a professional contract instead it opens up more opportunities for you, I just wish more athletes would look at it from that point of view."

He adds :"I for one did not get signed by Chippa United after the show, but then through the experience I found out that I am a very fluent person when it comes to interviews and social media activities and I also got the opportunity to join NWU because the coach saw me during the Ke Yona search and decided to give me that opportunity."

Early this year it was announced that the Ke Yona search has been canned, Kagiso said It’s so sad to hear that it has been canned, however does believe that the sponsors have their reasons as to why they have decided to stop with the search. He said that those who have formed part of the team search now have an even bigger responsibility as they should try by all means to help and support young upcoming athletes to sharpen and shape their crafts as they were fortunate enough to receive the opportunity and platform to do so.

Ramadivhane joined the purple army in 2018 shares the lessons that he's learnt during his time there, "Joining NWU was a blessing in disguise, that honestly forced me out of my comfort zone and learn to adapt to unfamiliar territories. Being part of the purple nation has taught me many things but the greatest lessons of them all is that without respect, discipline and dedication one can easily lose their way and go astray" he said. 2019 he made his debut appearance in the Varsity football Tournament and continues to share his experience " I’ve always wanted to take part in the Varsity Football Tournament and when the time came for me to actually be on the field it was very exciting. I remember the first home game had the stadium packed to capacity, that was priceless."

While the entire country was on lockdown for the past couple of months, alot of student athletes who relied on football for sanity and to keep them focused struggled in terms of their mental wellness, he was asked if he believes university should invest more in sports psychologists and his response was "I would say that sport psychologists are needed in football especially in universities . As student athletes we experience and go through a handful of challenges which we can’t take on without some help and that’s where sport psychologists come into the picture. We all know how campus life can be challenging with its many factors from academics to dating and the fans so one needs to find the balance with the help of psychologists and we were fortunate enough to have one within the team at NWU Soccer Institute."

Football has so much position rivalry, it could be easy for one to get to the top but difficult to maintain that position he was asked how he keeps his relationship between him and other goalkeepers sober both on and off the field, he replied to say " you know as a footballer you can learn something from the person you play with and you can also teach them something, so for me it has been nothing but brotherhood filled with love and always wanting to do better no matter the circumstances. Competition is always needed I agree but don’t try make someone else look bad or wish for them to do bad so that you can be seen, why not help each other to overcome the obstacles, and in that way the team benefits and both of you come out of it as better individuals. With over 80% of the keepers I’ve played with I’m happy to say that up to this day we wish each other well and we want to see each other doing well in whatever chapter of life that may be."

When asked of what being a goalkeeper has taught him that he applies on and off the field he said "being a goalkeeper is one position that people take for granted but if you look at it you’re actually the protector, making sure things are in order so that people don’t destroy what you have."

Kagiso recently signed a contract with Jomo Cosmos, he was asked what is he mostly looking forward to and what will he miss about varsity football his response was "I believe each footballer has a goal they would like to achieve so this is me on my path of achieving my goal, no matter how long it will take as long as there’s an improvement then I’m happy. I would definitely love to add value to the team which I believe that is one of the reason the management have shown their trust in me by bringing me in, so now I have to play my part by doing my best on the field of play."

"With regards to varsity football, I’m definitely going to miss my crazy teammates but trust me the journey does not end here we will meet up one day whether on the field or socially, that’s how close we’ve become as a family. This is so much of a ladder me moving from high school to SAB League to ABC and now finding myself here has made me realize that one has to adapt in order to conquer, I’m going to miss the atmosphere on campus with all the fans cheering for the stands and making sure that the opposition team does not have it easy, you can ask Sikhumbuzo Ncube (TUT & Steenberg United ) how it was during the Varsity football final 2019, I’m sorry for bringing it up but it was one relevant incident I couldn’t resist bringing up, but we will both face each other in about a weeks time and I’m hoping to pull a double over him."

His note to self is "No matter the circumstances push through, kuzolunga(It'll be ok) and you will come out of it better,opportunities that have been given to you could have been given to someone else so never take things for granted - never think it can’t happen to you always stay humble and don’t forget where you come from."