Mbekezeli Mbokazi: Born on sand, unearthed by a police officer

Located on a peninsula at the northern end of Lake St Lucia, KwaNibela, a village in rural KwaZulu-Natal that Mbekezeli Mbokazi calls home, can seem like a place out of sight and out of mind.

Surrounded by a lake and bordering the iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site, KwaNibela is blessed with wildlife, including fish from the lake and animals, including the big five from the game reserve.

Due to its proximity to the lake, KwaNibela is also blessed with sand. A lot of sand. While fishermen come to rest in the sand after long, hard days on the water, this is also where a young Mbokazi learnt to play football. For those who learnt to play the game on kinder surfaces, like the lush turf at top football academies, playing on sand can seem almost impossible.

The ball bobbles and holds up in certain areas, impeding one’s ability to attain any kind of passing accuracy. According to Bheki Mdletshe, a police officer credited with discovering Mbokazi, the young defender’s early beginnings on the sandy pitches of KZN were key to his passing game, which has quickly made him a household name in South African football.

MBOKAZI’S METEORIC RISE UNLIKELY AS IS SUDDEN

“Where he grew up, there’s a lot of sand, which makes it difficult to pass the ball,” Mdletshe tells FARPost. “He used to practice a lot in this sand, and I think that helped him sharpen his passing abilities.”

 

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗯𝗼𝗸𝗮𝘇𝗶’𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 🎯

Orlando Pirates defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s exceptional passing didn’t happen by accident. The man who coached him as a teenager, Bheki Mdletshe, has revealed how he developed his passing ability.#FARPost pic.twitter.com/StXqgrzkkl

— FARPost_ZA (@FARPostZA) November 23, 2025

The meteoric rise of Mbekezeli Mbokazi is as unlikely as it is sudden. Ask any scout how often they search for talent in the remote villages along KwaZulu-Natal’s east coast, and you’ll likely be met with blank stares. Top-tier footballers, the kind destined for the world’s biggest leagues, rarely emerge from places like KwaNibela, a village that remains underdeveloped and under-resourced. Despite its proximity to Lake St Lucia, water is a scarce resource in KwaNibela.

It is a place where poaching has at times sparked deadly clashes between villagers and game rangers. Here, most people make a living from fishing or weaving reeds, not chasing dreams on a football pitch. Yet this is where ‘TLB’ was found. Back in those days, he was merely a rough gem, waiting to be unearthed and polished by Mdletshe, an equally unlikely scout. Mdletshe, an officer with the South African Police Service stationed at Hluhluwe Police Station, recalls the day he told a teenage Mbokazi that he was destined for professional football. It was a prophecy that the boy initially laughed off.

“Something God has blessed me with is an eye for talent. I can spot potential and identify what needs to be improved. I recognised Mbeke’s talent when he was just 14. I told him that if he focused on football and stayed away from drugs, he could make it professionally. He would laugh at me then, but you could see he was gifted,” recalls Mdletshe.

TURNING OUT FOR UMTUBA ALL STARS

While he was a fairly hidden gem for most of his early career, the eyes of the world were opened to his talent when he was asked to turn out for Umtuba All Stars, a side Mdletshe was in charge of in the ABC Motsepe League.

“In 2022, we worked with a team called Makhasa FC, which is in the KwaMduku area of Hluhluwe. I worked alongside him until the time when the president of Umkhanyakude, Mr Celani Mbuyazi, asked me to go and assist at Umtuba All Stars.

“When Umtuba was promoted to the ABC Motsepe League, I was the one who promoted the team. I promoted the team, and then they moved on with another coach because there were disagreements between me and the club.

“Again, when they were battling relegation, Mr Mbuyazi called me back to come and save the team. I then travelled to Umtuba, and if I remember correctly, I was coming from the SALGA games in Newcastle. I was in Newcastle with many of the guys from Umkhanyakude who are now playing in recognised leagues. Guys like Mbekezeli, Mseleku, and Sphuzo. These are the guys who are now recognised. I went to help Umtuba, and when I arrived, I realised they were a bit short of players. I then called Mbekezeli, and we actually helped Umtuba when he played there,” explains Mdletshe.

WHEN MBOKAZI CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF RICHARDS BAY FC

While Mbokazi featured for Umtuba, he caught the attention of Richards Bay FC, who started sniffing around what at the time seemed like a relative unknown and unpolished gem. Unbeknown to the youngster, the dominoes that would lead to him climbing the pinnacle of South African football had already begun to fall at that stage of his career.

“While Mbeke was training with Richards Bay, I was called by Coach Wonder Mnguni, whom I met when we were doing the CAF C coaching license. He needed players for the Engen Cup. I told him that I will give him one boy who is naturally gifted and will not need any polishing,” adds Mdletshe.

Mnguni of Langalibele Sports Academy describes the moment that he saw this young man from the village on the pitch for the first time as an emotional experience. Tears came to his eyes as he immediately realised the calibre of talent that had just landed on his lap from the unlikeliest of places. “When we play tournaments like Engen, we usually invite players from the rural areas to give them opportunities,” Mnguni tells FARPost.

“Mbekezeli was not the only one; there were several other players we invited for trials, and then we saw talent. It’s just that I saw a different talent in him. I remember vividly when I first saw him, tears welled up in my eyes because football is in my veins.”

WHEN MBONGISENI MBOKAZI WHIPPED HIS NEPHEW

At the time, he was 17, going to turn 18, and an emotional Mnguni says what made him shed a tear “was how this boy would protect the ball”. “He would do well under pressure, and his passing was really good. He won all 50/50 challenges. I felt the boy deserved to play professionally; he didn’t have to be there. It was so interesting to see him. I made several calls the same day to try by all means to expose the boy.”

While he was in fairly new surroundings, Mnguni recalls that Mbokazi did not seem overawed by his teammates. On the pitch, the boy from KwaNibela broke out of his shell, barking commands to his new mates and immediately establishing himself as a leader of the young pack.

Mnguni, who spent a few days with Mbokazi, felt he was a victim of his talent in those days, as local coaches, eager to bolster their own fortunes, were not eager to let him go. To get them to release him from their clutches, Mnguni relied on Mbongiseni Mbokazi, the Orlando Pirates star’s uncle, who employed a sjambok to whip the youngster into line.

“When we [the academy] went to play a friendly before the Engen, the boy didn’t arrive. I phoned his uncles and they said, ‘The boy came to you [academy] in Durban. Only to find out he was taken by other coaches to play [tournaments in rural areas]. His uncle whipped him with a sjambok and told him to go to Durban, where he would get better opportunities. So, seeing his talent, we had to try everything we could to help him, considering that he was also coming from the rural areas,” reveals Mnguni.

THE TOUGH LOVE WAS NECESSARY FOR MBOKAZI

Mbongiseni, who administered the whippings that put a would-be superstar on the right path, says the tough love was necessary, given the talent they knew they had on their hands. As a youngster, Mbokazi reportedly played every position on the pitch except goalkeeper.

It is perhaps not surprising that when, recently, South African football legend Andries Mpondo suggested that Mbokazi was being underutilised as he could make a better midfielder than defender, only a few eyebrows were raised. His natural feel for the game, wherever he is on the field, is something that he grew up with.

“He started playing football when he was a kid, and he played at Qonqophile,” Mbongiseni tells FARPost.  “We saw his potential early and always played with older boys and matched them. He played with us at an amateur team called Home Sweepers. You could see he was outstanding.

“Mbeke could play all positions except goalkeeper. He adapts well. At school, his teachers would play him in defensive midfield, and when goals were scarce, they pushed him into centre forward, where he scored.”

While he delivered the disciplinary lashings to set the young lad straight, Mbongiseni credits Mdletshe, the no-nonsense police officer, as the man who set the tone for his nephew’s rise. “At Langalibalele, he spent less than a week, and that guy, who is connected to Pirates, took him there. However, the person who developed him is Bheki Mdletshe; he was the one who guided his entire journey. He played a crucial role in the boy’s development. Bheki made everything happen. He genuinely pushed to secure opportunities for the boy until he linked up with Wonder,” says Mbongiseni.

TRAINING WITH AMAZULU BEFORE PIRATES’ CALL

He recalls the time the 20-year-old defender trained with AmaZulu FC for two days, before a call came through from Pirates. “They booked him a flight, and he went to play DDC at Pirates. Next thing, he was in the senior team,” Mbongiseni adds.

Mdletshe recalls the frantic days before Mbokazi signed for the Buccaneers, as South Africa’s elite teams scrambled for the signature of a young man whose career was clearly set for bigger stages. “Wonder called me and told me that AmaZulu FC want this boy [Mbokazi],” recalls Mdletshe.

“So, I told him that if they can place a good deal on, they can sign him because Richards Bay was also interested. As he was now training with AmaZulu, I sent Melusi Shabalala to Golden Arrows, where I had asked coach Japhet Zwane to take them in for trials. When I got there, coach Zwane asked me about one of my boys he had heard about called Mbekezeli.”

“I told him that Mbekezeli is indeed there, but he is still studying. So, coach Zwane asked me to make means to bring Mbekezeli. I then told him that I would make a plan.” In about a week’s time, I spoke to one of the agents I am acquainted with, called Tebogo. He said he had posted Mbokazi, and a lot of people seemed to be interested in him. I told him that he did great because I knew that he liked a lot of players from Umkhanyakude. Tebza liked players from Umkhanyakude because he believed that they were strong.”

MAMELODI SUNDOWNS WERE ALSO INTERESTED

Before long, Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns had thrown their hats into the ring, as a royal rumble for the young defender ensued. It was Pirates who would emerge from this scramble with their prize, as they moved with swiftness to seal the deal.

“After Mbekezeli trained for Pirates for a week, I asked for an update from Wonder because I was not in contact with Pirates. Wonder then confirmed that Pirates was signing him,” explains Mdletshe.

According to Pirates DDC coach Joseph Makhanya, life was not rosy for Mbokazi in the early days of his career with the skull and crossbones. Plucked from the rural obscurity of KZN and thrust into the metropolitan bustle of Johannesburg, he found it hard to communicate with his new teammates.

“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 having team talks, I had to coach him on the other side. So, I had to express myself in IsiZulu so that he could understand properly. He was just a kid who came from a rural area in KwaZulu-Natal. So, he found himself at Pirates, and he had to adjust to the environment. I needed to make sure he fast-tracked 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 man nicknamed ‘Duku Duku’ reveals.

Lonwabo Magugwana, Mbokazi’s former partner in the heart of the Bucs reserves defence, says that in those tough first days, their relationship extended beyond the field of play, as he gave the rookie from KZN a much-needed shoulder to lean on.

LONWABO MAGUGWANA MOTIVATED BY HIS DDC DEFENCE PARTNER’S PROGRESS

“When Mbokazi arrived in Joburg, I was the only person who stood by his side through hardships. I started teaching him about the game because he was from a local team. I began giving him that experience and explaining what the coach expects. I remember he arrived a day before we played Orbit College FC in Rustenburg. It was after pre-season,” Magugwana tells FARPost.

However, even in those early days, when a teenage Mbokazi seemed like a deer caught in the bright lights of the big city, on the field of play, he was a different beast, showing strength of character and leadership beyond his tender years.

“His strong mentality, humility, and willingness to learn were just amazing. He wanted to understand what you’re saying when you speak to him. It’s hard to play with him; he doesn’t want players who are too relaxed; he wants players who fight. We played more than 25 games, and I could see the improvement from when he joined until today,” adds Magugwana, who is currently on loan at Chippa United.

Fast-tracked into the Bucs senior team, Mbokazi has become one of its leading lights, with his performances and leadership making him a standout player in a squad littered with stars. Over the course of nine months, he consistently featured in the CAF Champions League and recently faced Nigeria in a crucial FIFA World Cup qualifier.

In only his second season in the top-flight, he proudly wears the captain’s armband, leading coach Abdeslam Ouaddou’s troops with confidence and authority. “It’s normal that we give him this captaincy. Step-by-step, we want to give him more time because, of course, he will be one of the main men for us this season,” the Moroccan coach says.

‘MY DESIRE IS TO PLAY OVERSEAS’: MBEKEZELI MBOKAZI

Now already an established Bafana Bafana international, Mbokazi seemingly has the world at his feet. Yet, despite his rise to the top of the pile in Mzansi, the young defender wants more. A move to Europe, he says, is his ultimate ambition.
“My desire is to get an opportunity to play overseas,” he tells African Football Connect.

“I can’t play to only end up in South Africa, I want to end up playing in Europe amongst the best players. That’s what I want to achieve.”

It is a sentiment his Bafana coach, Hugo Broos, embraces. “The four years I’m here, I’ve never seen a defender like this and so young. So, I’m very happy with him. If it goes on like this, this is a guy who has to go to Europe.”
With an AFCON and World Cup on the horizon, it seems like the ideal time for Mbokazi to announce himself to the world.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗯𝗼𝗸𝗮𝘇𝗶’𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 🎯

Orlando Pirates defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s exceptional passing didn’t happen by accident. The man who coached him as a teenager, Bheki Mdletshe, has revealed how he developed his passing ability.#FARPost pic.twitter.com/StXqgrzkkl

— FARPost_ZA (@FARPostZA) November 23, 2025

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