MY OTHER LOVE
Driven By
DESIRE
This former footballer is growing his game while inspiring the next generation of black golfers from disadvantaged backgrounds
BY GRANT SHUB
Footballer-turned-golfer Sepeke Manamela, who represented Team South Africa at the 2025 BMW Golf Cup World Final at Fancourt in March, only took up the game in 2021 and plays off a 5-handicap.
Hailing from Modimolle, Limpopo, football was the sport Manamela was exposed to from a young age. Golf only entered his consciousness post-retirement. As a footballer he played for Orlando Pirates, Black Aces and Tuks. As a golfer he was crowned BMW Men's Division A champion to qualify for the largest amateur golf series in the world. Manamela says that he just jumped into golf and tried his luck in a sport he knew nothing about.
Fancourt, which boasts four Gary Player-designed courses, hosted the event for the 10th time in its history and delivered an outstanding spectacle.
'It was an extraordinary week at the BMW Golf Cup and they made us feel like we are professional golfers,' says Manamela, who placed 14th in the Men's A category and ninth in the team division.
'I did very well considering I was competing against amateur golfers from all over the world,' he adds.
'If I have a good tee shot then you must know I'm going to get a birdie or a par'
The field was very competitive and saw India's Vignesh Rangarao win the Men's A division of the 2025 BMW Golf Cup. For Manamela to kick on, he says that he needs to hone his big match temperament. However, based on the experience he has already gained, he believes that he will go on to win the annual tournament in the very near future.
Manamela says that if he had had the option to choose between football and golf as a career, he would have chosen the latter. He enjoys it being about himself and his caddie, rather than depending on other players in his previous sporting iteration. The man, who runs a construction company, sees himself as someone who can inspire black youth. It's a responsibility he doesn't take lightly and wants to open doors and show the youth from Modimolle they can also play golf.
'The perception that golf is a white-dominated sport is not slowly changing, it's actually changed,' says Manamela matter-of-factly. 'In more exposed cities, such as Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria, young black people are playing golf.' Rural areas are still largely disadvantaged when it comes to youth being exposed to the game, but Manamela sees himself as someone who has been sent by God to open eyes to many young people. Having defied the odds, his message to them is they can achieve their goals in different sports despite being previously disadvantaged.
AS A FOOTBALLER
'I started playing football for Terrors FC. I also played for Winners Park in the National First Division (NFD), from there it was PJ Stars. I signed for Orlando Pirates in the 2006/07 season. In 2009/10 I was loaned to Mpumalanga Black Aces. I also played for Pretoria University in 2012/13. After my injury, I decided to hang up my boots.'
WHY A BUCCANEER?
'Growing up, I looked up to my brother Jesiah Manamela. He was a talented footballer, even though he never turned professional. He played similarly to Zane Moosa. I supported Kaizer Chiefs because they had almost all my favourite players. My brother was also a big fan of Kaizer Chiefs. I was supposed to sign with Bidvest Wits, but Orlando Pirates captured my heart, and I chose to join them.'
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Manamela has a foundation and he hosts an annual golf tournament during his birth month of November. However, he would also like to include golf clinics and a junior tournament to assist those from disadvantaged areas getting exposed to golf. BMW's Eagles for Education is the automotive group's social commitment within golf, and they also sponsor and collaborate closely with Lethabong school in the Soshanguve township, which focuses on maths, science and ICT.
'They are dealing with the education part but they are also doing it on the sporting and golf side, which is a big up to BMW,' says Manamela.
The former midfielder says he used to argue with caddies when he first took up the sport but has now become more patient. He emphasises that whatever the outcome, he doesn't blame anyone but himself if things don't go according to plan on the course.
Manamela says that in most cases he struggles with his long game, especially his driver, because he tends to rush. But he is able to recover because his short game is his secret weapon.
'If I have a good tee shot then you must know I'm going to get a birdie or a par,' he says with a smile. The 43-year-old, who is looking into hiring a personal golf coach with the aim of taking his game to the next level, uses Titleist irons and TaylorMade's Qi35 driver.
Not the Ultimate Driving Machine – footballer-turned-golfer Sepeke Manamela rates driving as a weakness of his golf
Manamela now rates Fancourt highly, having played there for the first time in the BMW Golf Cup, but his favourite course is Euphoria Golf Estate in Limpopo. He gauges his favourite course based on the level of difficulty and underlines that the first black-owned golf estate in South Africa ticks that box. As far as a bucket list international course, Augusta National is comfortably Manamela's ultimate pick.
And when it comes to his dream fourball, Manamela lists Tiger Woods, Jacob Phala and Gary Player as partners. Manamela met Player at the BMW Nationals and after he won, the major champion noted that Manamela boasts the game to claim the BMW Golf Cup.
INSTAGRAM.COM | SEPEKE MANAMELA
