Orlando Pirates have endured a tricky couple of weeks. However, the emergence of teenage central defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi is an enormous plus.
Mbokazi will get a clear sheet on debut
5 March 2025 would possibly go down as an enormous day within the historical past of the membership. 19-year-old Mbekezeli Mbokazi made his Orlando Pirates debut and we would possibly look again on that as a large watershed second. It was a 1-0 win for Pirates and, fittingly, Mbokazi marked his bow with a clear sheet. It’s the primary of many, and DStv Diski Challenge [DDC] head coach Joseph Makhanya has performed an enormous position in his rise to prominence. Mbokazi has began subsequent matches towards SuperSport within the Nedbank Cup (he scored the opener in a 2-2 draw, Pirates finally prevailed on penalties) and towards Stellenbosch in a 0-0 draw. Mbokazi was man of the match in that thrilling cup tie towards Matsatsantsa. He began and shone in Pirates’ very good 2-0 win over leaders Sundowns. It’s a consequence which breathes new life right into a title problem that appeared to be fading out.
Makhanya’s position defined
Via FarPost, Joseph Makhanya has detailed his position in bringing Mbokazi into the primary crew.
“With Mbokazi, if I were to tell you a story, at some point when he came in he couldn’t even understand what was spoken because he only understood IsiZulu. So now, all the time we were making team talks, I had to coach him on the other side,” stated Makhanya.
“So, I had to specific myself in IsiZulu in order that he might perceive correctly. He was only a child who got here from the agricultural space within the KwaZulu-Natal. So he discovered himself at Pirates and he needed to regulate to the setting.
“I needed to make sure he fast-track things because he has good resilience in terms of physicality and you can see he is a strong boy who didn’t need gym or other things.”
“Kudos to him and the first team coach [Jose Riveiro] for believing he could get the job done. Credit should be given to all the boys who have gotten an opportunity in the first team and never looked back.”
How did Makhanya get the very best out of an unpolished diamond?
“You know, I’m a very demanding coach, especially at this level. They know that I push them a lot so that they are ready for the first team. The aim is that we need to make them ready and push them hard to see who breaks to pick up who is ready or not ready for the senior team,” he added.
“This is because the senior team is a demanding team that needs results. It’s a high-performance environment, where people need to be pushed beyond their limits so that we know what to expect.”
Is Mbokazi going all of the technique to the highest?
Let us know by leaving a remark under, or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African web site’s newsletters and observe us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the newest information.