Jabu Mahlangu (formerly Jabu Pule) is currently playing for Platinum Stars.
Pule affactionately known as "Shuffle" or "Ngwana wa Tshwenya" — literally "troublesome child" — to his supporters, for his ability to turn defenders around. It was once said by SABC sport commentator that, when Pule is on song, the opposition dances. He was a crowd puller at his former and first professional team, Kaizer Chiefs.
Although being considered as hugely talented, he has had numerous off-field and disciplinary issues in the past.
Club career
Kaizer Chiefs
Kaizer Chiefs was Pule's first club, where he was perennially in trouble for his wayward behaviour but forgiven on countless occasions because of his importance to the team. But Chiefs' officials lost patience with Pule and refused to give him a new contract when it ended in 2004.
SV Mattersburg
His fortunes were no different as he only lasted eight months before he was sent packing. Jabu was asked to leave the club after crashing his car while under the influence of alcohol.
SuperSport United
Twice sent to a rehabilitation clinic to overcome his drinking and drugs problems, Pule was sacked by SuperSport United late 2005 after missing several training sessions.
Orlando Pirates
But Irvin Khoza, chairman of Orlando Pirates, decided to take a chance on the former South Africa international, who has been kicked out at his three previous clubs.
In early 2006, Jabu Pule changed his surname to Mahlangu, the name of his deceased father.
Östers IF
Pule left the country on the 23 June 2008 to Sweden for trails with Helsingborgs IF and fellow Swedish clubs IF Limhamn Bunkeflo and Östers IF after training under the guidance of Farouk Khan at his academy in South Africa.
South African National Team
He represented the South Africa national football team several times and was a participant at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and at the 2000 Olympic Games. during the departure for the world cup, the president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, was handshaking the payers wishing them good luck and when he came to Jabu he said "Jabu, you must behave yourself".
source of Jabu Mahlangu's Club Career History is from Wikipedia
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Jabu is old school star, we must look at the substance of the boy and not his style. We make them Big and then we want to reap them apart. Jabu is born a star no question about that. But we elevate him way above the pedal and it is not easy staying in the air. We give Jabu and many like him too much preasure that they end up living an abnornormal life. They do not intentionaly start of like this but each star seem to find his own way of handling this preasure. These are humanbeings and are fragile like our ownselves. It will do us good to treat them as human. Jabu has given so much of himself and I am one of those who is grateful. If he was doing things that only animals do perhaps I will be concerned but not curious. It takes a while to get a star, you know many are just hard workers but a star is born with all that he needs.
Lets go a few years back, remember it's still the same ball and the same groundin as we use to call it. I am not going to list names but a case was the stars salary, it was even brought to the touch line. The star may have been out partying Friday nitht, all Saturday and Sunday morning but when they woke him up Sunday afternoon after loosing first half. A star as we know them always got up quick scored goals and after his team won they had to carry the star to his bed again as he could nolonger stand on his own after scoring all the goals. I am not going to delve on the past but those were the stars we know.
I was in primary school and after school I had to stay at Jomos uncle home who was a school principal. One day I came back from school and he took me to the staduim where his team was loosing by three goals to nothing, it was 15 minutes to drop time. The principal old as he was had a kit in his car and he doaned it and made substitution himself. The man scored 4 goals quick and his school won. Now that is a star, he must have quit soccer 15-20 years but when he go on the field he delivered, the man had no guts to watch his team loose. Those were the days they still had Standard Six and everything was studied in Afrikaans. Thus you know it were no little kids he was playing with, it was strong big man who had wives and children but in school.
Anyway, let us ease up on our boys and give them love. They are our sons anyway and pehaps we should take the blame of not raising them right. We often do these same things infront of our kids and when they grow up emulating us we throw a fit. It is always the ordinary always mad against the extra ordinary. If you leave in a glass house don't throw stones.
Mathatha
You cannot throw away a humanbeing and we are not going to try that. Thanks to those who gave Jabu not another chance but to entertain us once again. Jabu we love you and we are very proud of you. Those who say a lot of things is because they are ordinary people but you are extraordinary. We are not going to buy you roses and send them to doornkop but we give you these roses of love while you can still smell them. No one has a right to cast rocks at you. You are the best thing to ever happen after teenage Dladla.
Hope to see you doing miracles with your feet.
Zondi Jabulani