Although we all knew that he was not well in the recent past, his passing still landed like a cruel blow when it broke. I have known Matshidiso Saxton Kowa for the last 50 years. We met initially when he was at Molefi Secondary School and I was then at Gaborone Secondary School. When he moved to Gaborone Secondary School for his senior school we played together in the school team. When he went to play for Mochudi Centre Chiefs FC, I continued my football at Black Peril FC. 'Tshidi' was unrivalled as a top-class goalkeeper in Botswana whose love for football ran deep.
He was also the regular goalkeeper for the Zebras, a team that he later coached. Away from football, 'Tshidi' was an avid dog breeder. After his playing days, 'Tshidi' devoted his time to coaching and later started his own Club Flamengo Desportos. Although he trained as a coach in Germany amongst other places, he related a lot with Argentinian football. He loved the South American flair of football. It came as no surprise that the colours of Flamengo Desportos FC were similar to those of the Argentinian national team. The club later merged with Gabane Santos FC and became known as Flamengo Santos FC which he co-owned with Mokganedi Molefe, another football leader of note, who was a founder of Gabane Santos FC.
