Siphiwe Tshabalala recently mentioned that his salary from two decades ago was shockingly low for a footballer. This amount not only highlights his rise in South African football but also sheds light on the potential exploitation of lower division footballers in terms of payment.
According to Shabba, his salary was earned in 2004 while he was playing for Alexandra United before moving to Free State Stars for the 2004/05 season. It is not clear whether he earned this salary from a job outside of football or within the sport.
At the age of 19, Shabba received this meager salary, and his revelation came as a response to a tweet by Action SA politician Herman Mashaba, who asked, “How much was your first salary?”
This salary reflects Shabba’s determination to climb the ladder and gain valuable experience, despite the low pay.