INTRODUCING: EC Bees FC
Coach: Chippa Jongo
Previous Nedbank Cup Last 32 appearances (1): 2016
EC Bees FC are among the newest clubs in the Nedbank Cup Last 32 having only been formed in 2013, but are appearing in the Nedbank Cup for the second year in a row.
Last season the team lost 2-1 to fellow third-tier side Magesi FC in the Last 32. The team were originally from Tsolo in the Eastern Cape but moved to Bisho as they battled to find suitable playing grounds at home.
The club now plays at the Bisho Stadium, though most of the players still come from Tsolo, showcasing the talent in the rural areas of the province.
Should they be drawn at home in the Nedbank Cup the club will play the fixture at an alternate ground as the Bisho Stadium does not have the facilities required for Premier Soccer League matches.
The club chairman is Nceba Ntlantsana, who has been in the game a long time and is now putting his efforts into his own team.
“We have raw, raw talent here and have basically started a team from scratch, but as you can see we have made great strides in a very short space of time,” he says of the team.
“For our players, from such a rural background, the thought of possibly playing a Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates is incredible, beyond their wildest dreams. But that is the opportunity that the Nedbank Cup gives you.”
The team is coached by Chippa Jongo and their name is not hard to understand. “It’s because we sting like a bee,” Ntlantsana says with a laugh.
The team has this year promoted former Bafana Bafana defender Mokete Tsotetsi to assistant coach after he had played for the side last year.
Their most well-known current player is experienced forward Welcome Qalanto, who played in the Premier Soccer League with Chippa United and Lamontville Golden Arrows.
What is clear is that none of the big sides will relish a trip to the heart of the Eastern Cape to take on the ferocious Bees, who play their games in a red and white kit.