Former Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates shot-stopper Brilliant Khuzwayo has opened up about his move to Eswatini, where he is kicking off his goalkeeping coaching career.
The former Bafana Bafana star joined Mbabane Highlanders AM in January, a club owned by South African businesswoman Shauwn ‘MaMkhize’ Mkhize, where he traded gloves for coaching.
Khuzwayo, a decorated shot-stopper, made his name at Chiefs between 2012 and 2018 before making a cross-town switch to Pirates. However, a series of injuries cut his PSL career short at just 29, forcing an early retirement and a subsequent pivot to the touchline.
Now 36, Khuzwayo is officially embarking on his coaching journey. While his pedigree suggested a role closer to home, his decision to join Eswatini giants Mbabane Highlanders came as a surprise to many, given his stellar playing resume in South Africa’s top-flight.
‘I WANTED TO START SMALL AND BUILD MY COACHING PROFILE’ – KHUZWAYO
Speaking to FARPost in an interview, Khuzwayo said his decision was driven by a desire to start small while learning the role of a coach.
“Obviously, you have your ups and downs every now and then, but it’s been okay, I won’t lie. There’s a huge difference with South Africa, obviously, but when you’re a coach who’s starting his career, you want to start small and build up to it,” said Khuzwayo in an interview with FARPost.
Khuzwayo noted that Eswatini football is still developing and will have to play catch-up with the evolution of South African football.
“There’s a huge difference [between South African and Eswatini football], but I do believe in due time, in years to come, they [Eswatini] will catch up in terms of level of competition. We [Mbabane Highlanders AM] started the season on a low note, but we are picking up,” he added.
“I came in January. So, there’s not much that I could have done in terms of starting the pre-season with the team and everything.” Mbabane Highlanders AM currently occupy sixth place on the log table with 37 points from 25 matches.
Khuzwayo admitted the move to Eswatini required a leap of faith, as he steps into unfamiliar territory to sharpen his coaching credentials.”
“At every journey, as a player, you start, and then you finish. You start somewhere in terms of being a coach. There are a lot of learning experiences that you meet on this journey of coaching. However, at some point, I needed to take a leap of faith,” he concluded.
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