Fezile Gcaba Celebrates Hat-Trick with R100K Gift to His Mother

Fezile Gcaba, who was named Man of the Match as Durban City hammered Polokwane City 4-1 in the Carling Knockout Round of 16 on Friday, revealed that the R100,000 prize money will be handed over to his mother to decide how it should be used.

Gcaba produced a career-defining performance with a stunning hat-trick in his side’s 4-1 win over Rise and Shine at Chatsworth Stadium on Friday night.

“I’m a mamma’s boy. The money will go to mum, and then we will see what we can do as a family,” said Gcaba.

A Night to Remember for Gcaba

Signed from Richards Bay, the 26-year-old defender was involved in four of the five goals scored in the match.

He opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a powerful header at the far post and later added two more goals in extra time to complete his first-ever professional hat-trick.

Despite conceding a controversial penalty in stoppage time — when referee Abongile Tom adjudged him to have handled the ball inside the box — Gcaba bounced back in style. Lebohang Nkaki converted from the spot to level the game at 1-1, but Durban City showed resilience to retake control.

Extra-Time Drama

Just three minutes into extra time, Mfanafuthi Mkhize restored City’s lead with a spectacular bicycle kick after Saziso Magawana’s free kick hit the post and caused chaos inside the box.

From there, Gcaba took over the match:

• He combined with Katlego Maphathe before firing home with his left foot for his second goal in the 111th minute.
• Three minutes later, he rose highest in the box to score a towering header and complete his hat-trick, sealing a famous win.

Durban City’s Historic Progress

The result makes City the first team to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Carling Knockout Cup, an impressive achievement in their debut campaign.

Interestingly, Gcaba’s three goals in one game exceed the total he managed in 13 appearances for Richards Bay, where he only netted twice.

Gcaba Reflects on Career-Best Performance

“I scored three, I’m super happy,” Gcaba admitted after the game.
“Even though I didn’t expect to score so many goals in one match, I’m proud of the performance. The team also worked hard, and we believe we can go far in this cup.”