{"id":25176,"date":"2025-11-01T15:04:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T13:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/?p=25176"},"modified":"2025-12-13T15:05:54","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T13:05:54","slug":"jomo-sono-our-record-of-producing-african-strikers-is-unmatched","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/jomo-sono-our-record-of-producing-african-strikers-is-unmatched\/","title":{"rendered":"Jomo Sono: \u201cOur Record of Producing African Strikers Is Unmatched\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>South African football legend <strong>Jomo Sono<\/strong> has declared that no club or system on the continent can rival South Africa\u2019s historic record of <strong>producing elite African strikers<\/strong>, as he paid an emotional tribute to the late <strong>Esau \u2018Black Mamba\u2019 Kanyenda<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kanyenda, a revered figure in African football and a former Premier Soccer League (PSL) star, was laid to rest this week after passing away suddenly at the age of <strong>43<\/strong>, just days after publicly confirming he was receiving treatment for <strong>liver cancer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A PSL Icon With a European Legacy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Kanyenda\u2019s rise to prominence began under Sono at <strong>Jomo Cosmos<\/strong>, where his lethal finishing and relentless work rate quickly made him one of the most feared forwards in South African football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From the PSL, his career soared to new heights in <strong>European football<\/strong>, most notably in <strong>Russia<\/strong>, where he enjoyed successful spells with <strong>FC Rostov<\/strong> and <strong>Lokomotiv Moscow<\/strong>, eventually featuring in the <strong>UEFA Champions League<\/strong> \u2014 a rare achievement for a Southern African striker of his era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201cNobody Matches Us When It Comes to Strikers\u201d \u2014 Sono<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Reflecting on decades of talent development, Sono said South Africa\u2019s contribution to African goal-scoring history stands alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen it comes to strikers, nobody can match us in Africa,\u201d Sono told <em>iDiski Times<\/em>.<br>\u201cThe number of forwards we produced is unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He went on to list some of the most recognisable attacking names to emerge from South African football structures, including <strong>Philemon Masinga, Pitso Mosimane, Russell Mwafulirwa, Andre Kona, Chris Katongo, Anthony Laffor, Mark Williams, Eric September<\/strong>, and <strong>Tico-Tico<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThese are some of the finest strikers African football has ever seen,\u201d Sono added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Remembering a Relentless Goal Machine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Sono described Kanyenda as one of the hardest-working forwards he had ever coached, a striker who never allowed defenders a moment of rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe was sensational,\u201d Sono said.<br>\u201cDefenders had no time to relax. He pressed, he fought, he dominated in the air, and some of the goals he scored were simply unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The former coach also expressed pride in how Kanyenda transformed his life and career after arriving in South Africa with little recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe came here as a nobody and became a big name,\u201d Sono explained.<br>\u201cIt reminds me of <strong>Benjani<\/strong>, who arrived unknown and later played for <strong>Manchester City<\/strong>, scored in major cup finals, and reached the very top.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Day Sono Discovered Kanyenda<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Sono recalled first spotting Kanyenda while watching a match in <strong>Malawi<\/strong>, where he was immediately struck by the striker\u2019s intensity and physical presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI went to watch Malawi play, and I saw Esau,\u201d he said.<br>\u201cI also saw <strong>Clifton Msiya<\/strong>, one of the best left-footed players of that time \u2014 powerful, skillful, unbelievable. Time really does fly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kanyenda would later be sold in a <strong>lucrative transfer to FC Rostov<\/strong>, further cementing his status as one of the <strong>PSL\u2019s most successful exports to European football<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Legacy That Lives On<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Although Kanyenda was laid to rest far from South Africa, Sono stressed that his impact on local and international football will never be forgotten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe may be buried far away, but his family must know we carry them in our hearts,\u201d Sono said.<br>\u201cWe will always remember what he did in South Africa, and what he achieved in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udccc <strong>Stay tuned for more tributes, African football history features, and PSL legends coverage.<\/strong><br>\ud83d\udcac <em>Which African striker do you believe left the biggest legacy in the PSL era?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South African football legend Jomo Sono has declared that no club or system on the continent can rival South Africa\u2019s historic record of producing elite African strikers, as he paid an emotional tribute to the late Esau \u2018Black Mamba\u2019 Kanyenda. Kanyenda, a revered figure in African football and a former Premier Soccer League (PSL) star, was laid to rest this week after passing away suddenly at the age of 43, just days after publicly confirming he was receiving treatment for&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/jomo-sono-our-record-of-producing-african-strikers-is-unmatched\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer-news"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-22.png","author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/author\/admin\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-22.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":25173,"url":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/ouaddou-highlights-key-growth-areas-for-mbokazi-ahead-of-chicago-fire-move\/","url_meta":{"origin":25176,"position":0},"title":"Ouaddou Highlights Key Growth Areas for Mbokazi Ahead of Chicago Fire Move","author":"admin","date":"November 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has shared insight into what young defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi must sharpen as he prepares for his high-profile move to the United States\u2019 Major League Soccer (MLS) with Chicago Fire FC. 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As anticipation builds ahead of AFCON 2025, Broos believes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Soccer News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Soccer News","link":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/category\/soccer-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-20.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-20.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-20.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-20.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4137,"url":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/woodlands-dairy-2025-learnership-programme-x20\/","url_meta":{"origin":25176,"position":2},"title":"Woodlands Dairy &#8211; 2025 Learnership Programme X20","author":"admin","date":"October 14, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"2025 Learnership Programme in Liquid Dairy ReceptionClosing Date: 30 November 2024 Woodlands Dairy, a leader in South Africa\u2019s dairy industry, is offering an exciting Learnership Programme in Liquid Dairy Reception. Known for producing UHT milk under the popular FIRST CHOICE\u00ae brand, we also specialize in high-quality dairy products for major\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Register Your CV - NEW JOBS AVAILABLE&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Register Your CV - NEW JOBS AVAILABLE","link":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/category\/new-jobs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3168,"url":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/grants-administrators-7-posts-south-african-social-security-agency-sassa-apply-by-1-september-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":25176,"position":3},"title":"Grants Administrators (7 Posts) \u2013 South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) \u2013 Apply by 1 September 2025","author":"admin","date":"August 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Job Opportunity: Location: Mt Frere Local Office X1 (Ref: SAS 13\/2025) Libode Local Office X2 (Ref: SAS 14\/2025) Cofimvaba Local Office X1 (Ref: SAS 15\/2025) Lady Frere Local Office X1 (Ref: SAS 16\/2025) Fort Beaufort Local Office X1 (Ref: SAS 17\/2025) Idutywa Local Office X1 (Ref: SAS 18\/2025) Closing Date:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Register Your CV - 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NEW JOBS AVAILABLE&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Register Your CV - NEW JOBS AVAILABLE","link":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/category\/new-jobs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-26.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25176"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25178,"href":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25176\/revisions\/25178"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zentrofly.com\/jobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}