Former PSL star Mkhanyiseli Siwahla has opened on his return to his boyhood club, Cape Town Spurs FC, following his stint with the Motsepe Foundation Championship side, Lerumo Lions FC.
Siwahla, who once burst onto the South African football scene as a teenage sensation, is back where it all began. He etched his name into PSL history when he scored on debut against Dynamos FC in 2004, at the age of 15 years and 174 days, while playing for Ajax Cape Town [now Cape Town Spurs]
After five seasons with the Cape club, Siwahla’s journey took him to Bloemfontein Celtic, FC Cape Town, Chippa United, and Mpumalanga Black Aces before he moved abroad.
The 37-year-old also enjoyed spells in Europe with Polish outfit KS Proch Pionki and Slovakian side Partizan Bardejov, as well as a stint with Mochudi Centre Chiefs in Botswana.
At Lions, Siwahla served as a player-coach and team manager during their time in the North West ABC Motsepe League. At the start of the current campaign, the club acquired the second-tier status of Pretoria Callies.
As things stand, Lerumo sit eighth on the Motsepe Foundation Championship log with 27 points after 21 outings.
WHY MKHANYISELI SIWAHLA RETURNED TO CAPE TOWN SPURS FC
Speaking on his move to the Urban Warriors, the former winger revealed that a meeting with the club’s chairman, Alexi Efstathiou, during an NFD clash between Spurs and Orbit College FC last season sparked the transition.
He noted that his mother played a significant role in his return to his former club, adding that despite his success at Lerumo, he always felt his journey would eventually lead him elsewhere.
“Well, I’m back in the club because I had a long conversation with the owner of the team. I’m an assistant coach for the club’s Under-18 team,” Siwahla told FARPost in an exclusive interview.
“When I was at Lerumo Lions, I accomplished a lot there. So, I believe I built that team from nothing to what it is now. I am proud of myself. I was able to create something from nothing, and it has become something big. At the same time, I managed to produce players, some of whom are now playing professionally. They come from my hands—raw talent that I selected from trials. I identified them with my eyes, and they made it.
“I was always telling my players that while I was still there, I would say; ‘guys, I’m not here for long. Somewhere, somehow, I’m going to go,’ but I wasn’t sure exactly when I would leave. I just wanted to see the team in the NFD or Betway Premiership so that I could feel I had done my job.
“It happened that when Cape Town Spurs were in the NFD, they played against Orbit College FC, and I met the chairman there. We spoke, and I then called my mother to tell her that I was talking to the chairman. She said, ‘Why don’t you just come back home [to join Cape Town Spurs]?'”
‘I’M GRATEFUL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY’: MKHANYISELI SIWAHLA
Siwahla went on to express gratitude for the opportunity to mentor the next generation at Ikamva. “I’m grateful for this opportunity because it’s a chance to return to the basics. My passion is to develop players. Now, all the memories of how I was developed are coming back,” he added.
“I wanted to be in a professional environment that allows me to follow the path I was on before I became a superstar, especially in coaching. I’m in the right place at the right time.”
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