Regardless of the fact that he hails from the dusty village of Homu in Giyani, Mr Victor Hlungwane is the top referee of the 2011/2012 PSL season.

Hlungwane, a teacher by profession, received his award during a ceremony at Gold Reef City on Sunday evening.

His refereeing career started when the Giyani East Football Association was looking for referees in the early 90s. He said that the senior guys did not volunteer to attend the referee’s course. “It was at a club meeting and I stood up and said, 'give it to me'. They all laughed as I was only 15 years old and players used to assault referees,” he said. Eventually, no one else was volunteering and they agreed to send him.

During his earlier days, Hlungwane officiated in the Great Northern East Province (now Safa Vhembe) with the likes of Tshikonelo Nekhubvi, Israel Maphaha, Philip Tinyani and Rudzani Mulaudzi. He obtained a  sport leader certificate from the National Sport Council in 1997 and a coaching certificate from Safa in 1998. In 2003, he qualified as a referee for the high national certificate for theory soccer laws.

On Sunday evening, Hlungwani received a cheque of R50 000 as Referee of the Year. “I’m over the moon. As a FIFA/CAF referee, my games will be monitored and it is imperative for me to maintain consistency throughout all the matches,” he said.

Highlights of his career include the MTN Top 8 Cup final between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates at the FNB Stadium, as well as a match between Gabon and Brazil in Brazzaville to open the stadium that hosted the final of the AFCON 2012.

“It was an honour for me as it came unexpectedly. I had to learn quickly how to tell a player to calm down in French (tranqui) and Portuguese (tranquilla). I was also honoured to be appointed as fourth official for the Super Cup final between Esperance in Tunisia and a team from Morocco in February, where I got my first CAF medal. I also did the Mbada Diamond Cup semifinal between Dynamos and Platinum FC in Bulawayo.”