Pirates coach singles out Mandla Qhogi for praise

Mandla Qhogi. Picture by Milford FC/Facebook

A rising Orlando Pirates coach has singled out coach Mandla Qhogi for praise, highlighting how he helped him settle at the Soweto giants.

Qhogi had a lengthy stay at Pirates, during which he was involved in the development of players that include Zakhele Lepasa, Relebohile Mofokeng and Lyle Foster.

The soft-spoken Qhogi held various roles in nearly all age groups at the club. Before his departure, Qhogi was Pirates’ head coach of the DStv Diski Challenge [DDC] side from August 2021 to July 2023.

In his 18-year-long stay at the Soweto giants, Qhogi made a significant impact, including helping Zimbabwean coach Simon Marange settle.

Marange has been in Pirates’ developmental ranks for seven years. His experience at the club has made him a valuable asset in Zimbabwean football.

Most recently, he was entrusted with the Zimbabwe National Team that took part in the 2025 COSAFA tournament, a huge milestone for the youthful coach.

Simon Marange and Mandla Qhogi. Picture by Orlando Pirates/X

WHAT SIMON MARANGE SAID ABOUT COACH MANDLA QHOGI

And while heaping praise on Qhogi, Marange also acknowledged the duo of Mandla Ncikazi and Joseph Makhanya. The latter is Pirates’ current DStv Diski Challenge coach, while Ncikazi is the assistant coach of the first team.

In an interview with FARPost, Marange said: “Coach Mandla is a senior guy, very calm, very mature. I’ve also learned a lot in terms of emotional intelligence from him.

“So I’ve always tried to look at the senior coaches that are there at the club and just try to pick a few things from them. Obviously, maybe not in conversation, but just watching what they do and how they go about their daily activities has really helped me.

“In development, I’ve worked closely with coach Mandla Qhogi, who was almost like a mentor to me when I started coaching. He was always there at the club, holding my hand. Honestly, he is the one who helped me believe in myself and be able to settle at such a big club. He is very important to me.

“Now, I’ve worked with Joseph Makanya, who’s a legend, who understands what it takes to play the club. What are the demands of the players. I’ve also tried to see how he sees things from his perspective,” added Marange.