Former Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Neo Maema has made an honest admission about his four-year stay at the club following his move to Tanzania giants Simba SC.
Maema officially joined Simba most recently after captaining Bafana Bafana at the 2025 CHAN tournament, which is hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Despite Maema’s impressive performance, South Africa was eliminated in the group stages.
In the domestic scenes, the 29-year-old won four league titles, the Nedbank Cup, one MTN8, and the CAF African Football League [AFL] with Masandawana. He made 120 appearances for Sundowns, scoring 13 goals.
Maema recently joined his new teammates at Simba during a pre-season camp in Egypt ahead of the 2025/26 season next month. The club is coached by SA coach Fadlu Davids.
WHAT DID NEO MAEMA SAY ABOUT HIS EXIT FROM MAMELODI SUNDOWNS?
“For me, it wasn’t about leaving because I wanted to. It was more because I respected Mamelodi Sundowns very much,” he told the Simba SC media team.
“They gave me an opportunity for all these years. For me, it was more of a change of environment. I think I needed that in my career because things were obviously not going well.”
Maema added, “So I wanted to change the environment, to come to Simba. I saw it as a great opportunity and also to be outside of the country; it’s something that I have always wanted to experience in my career.
“I am looking forward to it. We grow in such environments, so I can experience Tanzania as a whole and also the league. For me, it was more about making sure that I could test myself in my career. So it’s an adventure that I am looking forward to.”
NEW SIMBA SC MIDFIELDER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT A STINT AT SUNDOWNS WAS NOT EASY
“It was very difficult [at Sundowns]. No environment, no top team is easy for a professional player,” he declared.
“But what’s important was the players that supported me and my time at Mamelodi Sundowns. I am grateful for that opportunity, I was actually honoured that I was able to willingly give myself to good performances…”
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