Orlando Pirates DStv Diski Challenge [DDC] head coach Joseph Makhanya has opened up on the role he played in Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s rise.
The teenage sensation made his debut for the Buccaneers on Wednesday, 5 March against Chippa United in a Betway Premiership tie.
On his debut day, Pirates managed to secure a 1-0 win over the Chilli Boys at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, thanks to Nkosinathi Sibisi’s solo goal.
On Saturday, 8 March, Mbokazi made it to Pirates’ starting line-up against SuperSport United in the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals, where he went on to score for his side.
Pirates went on to beat Matsatsantsa 5-4 on penalties after the showdown ended in a 2-2 draw in 120 minutes. The victory saw the Soweto giants book a spot in the Nedbank Cup semifinals. Mbokazi was named the Man of the Match following his stellar displays.
The youngster also started the game when Pirates played out to a 0-0 draw with Stellenbosch FC in a league match at Athlone Stadium on Tuesday, 11 March 2025.
Following Mbokazi’s promotion to the Bucs senior team in February this year, the 19-year-old had made three appearances and contributed one goal across all competitions.
Mbokazi follows in the footsteps of Relebohile Mofokeng, Mohau Nkota, Siyabonga Ndlozi and Thabiso Sesane as the talents emerging from the team’s youth structures.
JOSEPH MAKHANYA’S IMPACT IN MBEKEZELI MBOKAZI’S SUCCESS AT ORLANDO PIRATES
Coach Makhanya revealed how he took Mbokazi under his wings when he arrived at Pirates as he had language barriers.
“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,” said Makhanya.
“So, I had to express myself in IsiZulu so that he could understand properly. He was just a kid who came from the rural area in the KwaZulu-Natal. So he found himself at Pirates and he had to adjust to the environment.
“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.”
The Pirates legend continued: “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 JOSEPH MAKHANYA GOT THE BEST OUT OF MBEKEZELI MBOKAZI
‘Duku-Duku’, as he is affectionately known, explained how he maximized Mbokazi’s potential during his period with the club’s DDC team.
“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 in order 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.”
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