Pitch-perfect career ends
NEARLY three decades of preparing pitches for a multitude of teams came to an end when long- serving NMMU head groundsman Kiewiet Mali retired from his job at the varsity last week.
The 62-year-old Mali joined NMMU as a groundsman in 1987 and said this week he had built 27 years of wonderful memories in the job.
"I enjoyed the job very much and had to make sacrifices because we were always busy over the weekend. But it was a passion of mine and I have so many great memories," Mali said.
NMMU cricket manager Riaan Osman, who has worked with Mali for the last 14 years, paid tribute to the groundsman's contribution to sport at the varsity.
"He is the most modest man I have ever met," Osman said, "always smiling and very professional in the way he carried himself at work.
"He took pride in his work and I cannot recall a day where we had issues as he was always on time and was always prepared to go the extra mile.
"During summer he sacrificed time away from his family as our schedule requires matches to be played on Saturdays and Sundays. He is looking forward to spending time with his family now that he has decided to retire."
After growing up in Pearston, Mali was employed by the Ford Motor Company before car assembly was moved to Pretoria in 1986.
"In 1987 I linked up with NMMU after learning about pitch preparation through the staff at St George's where we underwent some training."
From that moment he found a job which allowed him to interact with players from various levels.
Chiefly, he watched the NMMU Cricket Club maintain their status as one of the best club teams in South Africa and a major highlight was flying to watch them win the national club championship in 2011 in Pretoria.
"This is a lasting memory, flying for the first time and being present with the team when they won the club champs title in 2011. I will never forget that occasion," Mali said.
He enjoyed watching some of the best players in the game in action and rated former South African skipper Kepler Wessels as his favourite.
"Wessels was one of the best," he said, noting that one of the highlights was the NMMU cricket reunion in 2010 when dozens of former varsity players took part in a series of matches at the south campus.
"Seeing the older players like Wessels and [former SA wicketkeeper] Dave Richardson running around on our fields was great."
He also met world-class players like Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene and Australian Brett Lee when the Kings XI Punjab trained at NMMU as South Africa hosted the Indian Premier League in 2009.
He recalls fondly working with former UPE/NMMU managers and coaches such as Pierre Tullis, Grant van Heerden, Shafiek Abrahams and, in his last 14 years, Osman.
He is especially indebted to Osman, who ensured he was included in the trip to the national club champs in 2011. - Neale Emslie
