'Sad and painful': Shabalala wakes up every day knowing Chiefs are in a period of pain

Coming through the ranks of the Kaizer Chiefs' famous academy and then cracking a place in the iconic first team, young men making the grade always have an added responsibility placed on their shoulders.

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Many have passed through the pearly gates of Naturena with a pocket full of dreams as they entered the academy structures, worked their way up the ladder before the club made that assessment of whether they have first-team potential or not.