Stanley Tshabalala

Stanley Tshabalala

Personal information
Date of birth	(1949-03-15)15 March 1949
Place of birth	Orlando East, Soweto, South Africa
Date of death	11 July 2024(2024-07-11) (aged 75)
Place of death	Centurion, South Africa
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1968–1969	Orlando Preston Brothers
1969–1970	Kaizer XI
1970	Kaizer Chiefs
	Pimville United Brothers
	African Wanderers
1974–1976	Vaal Professional
1976–1977	Orlando Pirates
Managerial career
1974	African Wanderers (player coach)
1978	Orlando Pirates
	Blackpool
1986–1988	Mamelodi Sundowns
1989	Mamelodi Sundowns
1992	South Africa
	Moroka Swallows
1994–1996	Amazulu
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Stanley "Screamer" Tshabalala (15 March 1949 – 11 July 2024), also known as Mr. Shoe, Shine and Piano, was a South African soccer player, coach, and administrator.

Tshabalala was the first coach of South Africa national team after readmission to FIFA.

Playing career

Tshabalala began his playing career as a 19-year-old at Orlando Preston Brothers before moving to Kaizer XI in 1969 after the return of Kaizer Motaung.

Tshabalala was a founding member of Kaizer Chiefs in 1970. He later played for Primville United Brothers, African Wanderers (as a player coach), Vaal Professional and in 1976 joined Orlando Pirates where a leg fracture would end his playing career in 1977.

Managerial career

Orlando Pirates

In 1978 Tshabalala was appointed Orlando Pirates head coach and won his maiden title at the 1978 Champion of Champions.

Mamelodi Sundowns

While the manager of Blackpool, Tshabalala was approached by Mamelodi Sundowns owner Zola Mahobe and took over as head coach of the club in 1986. Tshabalala was credited with developing the shoe, shine, and piano playing style at the club which gained him the nickname Mr. Shoe, Shine and Piano. He won the 1986 Mainstay Cup in a 1–0 win over Jomo Cosmos to lift his first title at Sundowns. In 1987 he finished third in the league and three points behind eventual winners Jomo Cosmos. In 1988 he won the BP Top Eight Cup and Ohlsson's Challenge Cup against cross-town rivals Arcadia. He left Sundowns in 1988 with 54 wins, 29 draws, and 25 losses.

His second stint at the club came just 18-months later with Tshabalala winning the club's first treble losing only two matches in the league and managing to win the BP Top 8 and the JPS Knockout Cup.

South Africa

Tshabalala was the first coach of the South Africa national team after readmission to FIFA. He won the first game on 7 July 1992 after nearly two decades in international isolation, beating Cameroon 1–0 at Kings Park in Durban.

Outside coaching

Tshabalala was the technical director of Kaizer Chiefs from 1996 to 2001.

He later joined rivals Orlando Pirates as technical director, a position he kept until his death in 2024.

Personal life and death

Tshabalala was the father of kwaito musician Tokollo "Magesh" Tshabalala (1976–2022) of TKZee fame.

In March 2024 Tshabalala suffered a gunshot wound after a burglary at his Centurion residence. On 11 July 2024, he succumbed to complications from his injuries, at the age of 75.

Honours

Orlando Pirates

• Champion of Champions: 1978

Mamelodi Sundowns

• Mainstay Cup: 1986
• BP Top Eight Cup: 1988, 1990
• Ohlsson's Challenge Cup: 1988
• NSL Castle League: 1990
• JPS Knockout Cup: 1990