Kaizer Chiefs and three other PSL clubs rejected a then-18-year-old defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi, who recently made a breakthrough at Orlando Pirates, according to his former coach.
Hailing from Hluhluwe, situated in the northern part of the KwaZulu-Natal province, Mbokazi saw his talent come to the fore during the 2023 Engen Knockout Challenge.
He was playing for Langalibalele Academy, a team he had just joined before the tournament and who were eliminated in the semifinals by AmaZulu FC. The move to Langalibalele came after the academy coach Wonder Mnguni was facing a shortage of centre-backs before the tournament.
He contacted Bheki Mdletshe, a fellow coach from Hluhluwe, who recommended Mbokazi from his SAB team, Makhasa FC.
WHO ARE THE 4 PSL CLUBS THAT REJECTED PIRATES’ MBOKAZI
Kaizer Chiefs
Mnguni recalled being immediately struck by Mbokazi’s potential after a mere 15 minutes of play in a pre-tournament friendly. So impressed that he reached out to Chiefs’ then-head of Technical and Youth Development Molefi Ntseki and scout Ace Khuse.
They both agreed to take a look at the player, but for some reason, they rejected him as a follow-up was never made.
“What surprised me is that he only played 15 minutes [in a friendly match before the tournament] and I phoned Kaizer Chiefs straight away,” Langalibalele Academy coach Mnguni revealed during an interview with FARPost.
“That was my first time seeing him, I phoned Molefi Ntseki. I said there’s a left centre-back here, he’s out of this world. I told him, ‘I can guarantee you’ll want to sign this boy’. He said to me, ‘Okay coach we will see’.
“I phoned Ace Khuse, I told him the same thing so that more people at the club would push for him. I wanted him to join Chiefs. They said they will organise [things]. I saw that they were delaying.”
Mamelodi Sundowns
Meanwhile, The Brazilians had a scout at the Engen tournament who was impressed by the player and immediately recommended the club to assess the youngster in July after the tournament.
However, Sundowns said they would only reach out to the academy and player in September.
“During the Engen tournament, there was a scout from Sundowns called Don. He said this boy is too good and he reminded him of Mvala,” Mnguni noted. “It was July then but they wanted him to come in September. Because of [the club’s] politics, he couldn’t go to Sundowns right then.”
Golden Arrows
Japhet Zwane, who was in charge of the Golden Arrows DDC team, wanted to sign Mbokazi without hesitation. Despite the club’s interest, the academy ultimately decided against sending Mbokazi to Arrows due to financial difficulties and accommodation problems experienced by Abafana Bes’thende DDC players.
“Golden Arrows wanted to sign him right then and there,” added Mnguni. “But the problem with them was the fact that the reserve team players don’t get financial assistance and accommodation. So, we couldn’t take him there. But if they provided all that, we would have taken him to Arrows.”
AmaZulu FC
The Sandile Zungu-owned side was on the verge of signing Mbokazi, with the player even training with the DDC team then spearheaded by Amakhosi legend Reinelwe Letsholonyane.
AmaZulu did table a contract offer for the defender, but the academy acting as his representative sought certain adjustments to the terms. Before Usuthu could finalise the deal, Pirates, who had been approached by Mnguni before the Engen, moved swiftly to call up Mbokazi for an assessment without even having scouted him in person.
Coach Mnguni said: “I took him to AmaZulu and they gave us a contract. “We were not happy with the contract and we wanted some adjustments. And they didn’t make a quick follow-up. While we were waiting, Pirates came back to us [after approaching them] and they said, ‘Send that boy the next day, or else he will never get a chance at Pirates’.
“We took the decision to send him to Pirates.”
Mbokazi spent just one season with Pirates reserves before a promotion to the first team. He made his debut in the Betway Premiership clash against Chippa United where the Buccaneers won 1-0.
He has made four appearances in all competitions, collecting two Man of the Matches awards.
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