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Reneilwe Letsholonyane: ‘Playing next to him is something I’ll always cherish’

Ex-Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana star Reneilwe Letsholonyane has spoken about his admiration for one former teammate, saying ‘playing next to him is something to always cherish’.

Letsholonyane carved out a remarkable career for both club and country, leaving his most indelible mark during his time at Chiefs. He featured for Amakhosi between 2008 and 2016, lifting two league titles.

In a recent interview, the retired midfielder spoke highly of the talents and influence of Willard Katsande on the pitch. He revealed the secret behind his memorable midfield partnership with former Warriors captain, Katsande. 

Katsande was a tough tackling ball winner and ‘Yeye’ earned his stripes for his ability to cover every blade of grass on the pitch as he defined a box-to-box midfielder. 

Yeye told FARPost that on the surface their partnership looked smooth but on the flip side they were battling to ignore their egos. 

Reneilwe Letsholonyane and Willard Katsande during a Kaizer Chiefs event
Reneilwe Letsholonyane and Willard Katsande

WHY RENEILWE LETSHOLONYANE CHERISHES WILLARD KATSANDE PARTNERSHIP

“I think I enjoyed this partnership because Katsande was more of a baller-winner, and he was always ready to let me do much with the ball.

“We had a good understanding of our roles. Playing next to Katsande is something I will always cherish because we enjoyed our responsibilities.

“There was also a time when others tried to divide our partnership with many negative opinions and it created a room for ego to breed, but as focused partners, we did everything possible to keep our eyes on the prize,” said Letsholonyane. 

The retired Zimbabwe international, Katsande, also feels his partnership with Yeye was the best of his career. It’s also fair to say that by his standards, he was never the same player when Letsholonyane left Amakhosi to join SuperSport United in 2016. 

Katsande eventually left the Chiefs at the end of the 2021 campaign after serving Amakhosi for a decade. Yeye hung his boots in 2021 and Katsande did the same the following season at Sekhukhune United.

RELATED STORY: ‘Yeye’ Letsholonyane’s impact: Three SA 20 players share insights

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