Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana midfielder Masindi Nemtajela was recently honoured by his former club, citing his rise to the top as a powerful inspiration for their current players.
Nemtajela has seen his career improve significantly within two years of his professional debut. He made his first Betway Premiership appearance while playing for Marumo Gallants during the 2024/25 season under coach Abdeslam Ouaddou.
Following a series of standout performances at Marumo Gallants, the 24-year-old secured a high-profile move to the Buccaneers at the start of the current campaign. While the domestic season remains on hiatus for the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, Nemtajela has already left his mark, establishing himself as an indispensable engine at the heart of the Pirates midfield.
He also recently earned a Bafana Bafana cap under coach Hugo Broos and was named in the AFCON preliminary squad, but was unable to make the final squad.
MASINDI NEMUTAJELA REVISITS HIS HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Before his meteoric rise to the professional ranks, the dynamic attacker honed his craft in the unforgiving world of amateur football. A key chapter of his journey was written at Piano FC, a team based in Ga-Dikgale on the outskirts of Polokwane.
Nemtajela’s flair first caught the eye during high-stakes local tournaments in Limpopo, eventually serving as his springboard to the Motsepe Foundation Championship with Gallants. On Sunday, 21 December 2025, that journey came full circle.
In a ceremony charged with emotion, Piano FC hosted a special tribute to their most famous son, officially retiring his iconic number 15 jersey to ensure his legacy remains untouched. The day was marked by a stirring guard of honour, with South African football royalty in attendance as Mamelodi Sundowns legend Daniel ‘Mambush’ Mudau joined the community to celebrate the midfielder’s transition from a local hero to a national star.
AMATEUR CLUB EXPLAIN WHY THEY DECIDED TO HONOUR ORLANDO PIRATES STAR
“Masindi Nemtajela is an inspiration to all of us at the club. He has achieved things that many people fail to,” Piano FC media officer Rice Vincent Mashangoane told FARPost.
“We decided to hang the jersey number 15 he used to wear as a way of appreciation from us, management, and to wish him all the best at his professional level. He’s well known as KG or John Wick.”
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