'I'm Someone Who Hates Going To Bed Hungry' – Former Polokwane City Star Vukile Mngqibisa Finds New Path After Football

The retired player discusses his difficult transition from football, revealing a new, specialized job he says pays better than his former career.

Former Polokwane City FC player Vukile Mngqibisa has opened up about the twists and turns his life has taken since leaving professional football.

 Once known for his defensive skills at AmaZulu and Polokwane City, the 35-year-old is now navigating life beyond the pitch in unexpected ways.

After retiring from football, Mngqibisa found himself relying on odd jobs to make ends meet. 

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Two years ago, he revealed to KickOff that he was picking up trash cans under the Johannesburg municipality for a living.

 “This life after football is not easy, it has its own ups and downs, and it requires a lot of adjustment,” he told the publication.

Despite the challenges, Mngqibisa has steadily built a new career and today he is a truck driver, transporting petrol, diesel, and paraffin in a tanker truck for one of South Africa’s leading logistics companies.

"I'm now a truck driver, I'm driving a fuel truck now, it's called a tanker truck, I transport petrol, diesel, and paraffin, I'm transporting dangerous goods, I travel between Durban and Johannesburg," Mngqibisa told KickOff.

From the pitch to the highway

Mngqibisa’s journey into trucking was deliberate as while still playing for AmaZulu, he earned his Code 14 license with the hope of one day driving broadcasting equipment for SuperSport TV and SABC Sport. 

However, life had other plans. He upgraded his credentials with a certificate in transporting dangerous goods and training in firefighting, equipping himself for a career in logistics.

"UniTrans is one of the biggest companies I've always wished to work for. Initially, when I did my code 14, my dream was to drive the SuperSport TV and SABC Sport broadcasting equipment and outside broadcast trucks. I did my code 14 in Durban while I was still playing for AmaZulu," he said.

Mngqibisa now enjoys the stability and benefits his trucking job provides and unlike the unpredictable paydays of PSL clubs, his current role guarantees a regular salary, UIF contributions, and other perks. 

"I'm someone who hates going to bed hungry. I have never been a fan of handouts. My current job, financially, I can say it is paying well, similar to the PSL. It's even better here because I'm guaranteed to get my salary exactly on my pay date, no one will give me excuses about a PSL monthly grant that is yet in...here there are benefits like UIF, something as a footballer I didn't even know what it stood for. So I can say being a truck driver pays better than PSL clubs."

Diversifying skills beyond football

Beyond trucking, Mngqibisa has developed multiple skills in sports therapy and fitness.

He is a qualified physiotherapist, has a conditioning coach certificate, and has experience assisting ABC Motsepe League teams as a physio. 

His qualifications allow him to work as a fitness trainer, masseur, and even a team bus driver—an opportunity that came up when a club noticed his Code 14 license.

"I want to go back to football through all this stuff I did at school, seeing that these days everybody wants to be a coach, forgetting that coaching is a calling, it's not for everybody. I want to be maybe a masseur, can you imagine a former professional player rubbing another player's thighs, making his body and injuries heal?" he said in a past interview.

Mngqibisa also gives back to the community through the Taelo Motloung Foundation, supporting school children, particularly in rural areas.

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