Coming from a disadvantaged background and a rural area with minimal opportunities for young people to thrive, Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s journey to the summit of domestic football is a true testament to how far one can go with dedication, hard work, and proper guidance.
Mbokazi is the newest Orlando Pirates star who is turning heads and earning plaudits from all corners of the South African football sphere, with just only 356 minutes on the green.
That’s because the left-footed youngster has proven to be a real deal despite playing just four matches across all competitions. Mbokazi has earned a couple of Man-of-the-Match accolades, and the defender even has a goal to top it off.
Football enthusiasts still marvel at how the teenager kept the troublesome Mamelodi Sundowns’ star player Lucas Ribeiro silent for the duration of the Buccaneers’ 2-1 Betway Premiership victory at FNB Stadium last Sunday.
The 19-year-old bulky central defender hails from the little-known area of KwaNibela, about 40 kilometres from Hluhluwe town in the northern part of KwaZulu-Natal.
Those who know that side of the province understand how impoverished and underdeveloped it is. People from that region still have to travel to big cities for post-high school education, job opportunities and a whole lot of other things.
For Mbokazi, it was going to be the same thing or even worse. One of his family members recently revealed in an interview with 1KZN TV that school was not “his thing” and saw football as his only ticket to a better life.
In an exclusive interview with Hollywoodbets Sports, Mbokazi’s former coach at the grassroots level Bheki Mdletshe (pictured with the player below) spoke of the incredible journey the youngster has taken to one of the country’s most beloved clubs, Pirates.
Mdletshe, who is also a mentor to the player, pointed out excellent work ethic, willingness to learn, and impressive perseverance to Mbokazi’s tough road to success.
Well, his name Mbekezeli is translated to perseverance in English.
“What I can tell you about that boy is that he is like my son,” said Mdletshe.
“I started working with him while coaching a SAB League (now Hollywoodbets Regional League) team called Makhasa FC based in the KwaMduku area in Hluhluwe.
“So, we would fetch him and other young players from the KwaNibela area to come and join us at training. I think he was 15, if I’m not mistaken and he was one of the boys who always made the effort to come every time and gave everything in training.
“I noticed his dedication and decided to put him in to train with the senior team despite him being young and I quickly saw his potential,” he said.
“We started chatting and I told him you are going to be a big star in the future, but I don’t think he took notice of what I said.
“There were a lot of them, and others have progressed well, but I think Mbekezeli has hit it big.”
While Mbokazi’s road to professional football was not easy, there were signs that he was destined for the big stage.
Mdletshe revealed the player always turned heads years before making the Pirates’ DStv Diski Challenge team, where he was polished by the club’s legend and reserve side coach Joseph “Dukuduku” Makhanya.
Prior to being captured by pirates, he had attracted interest from other Premier Soccer League clubs, including AmaZulu FC, Golden Arrows, and Royal AM.
“I remember his first trial when I took him for trials at Golden Arrows and he made the last 20 but couldn’t make it past that stage,” Mdletshe recalled.
“But we were very encouraged after that. We sort of got affirmation that this boy is talented. We kept on working on him with the other coaches.
“After that, I took him to different teams in the different leagues in the amateur ranks including ABC Motsepe League where he played for sides such as Mtuba All-Stars and people would always ask, ‘Who is that guy?’
“After one of the seasons, I was contacted by coach Wanda Mnguni of Langalibelele FC who told me they needed U18 players to go and play the Engen Cup in Durban.
“He told me when they were there Mbekezeli impressed a Mamelodi Sundowns scouts and was also noticed by AmaZulu, they liked him,” Mdletshe said.
“I even called Sazi Ngubane of Royal AM and told him I have this special player, but he was worried about a potential Fifa ban at the time. And they were banned after that, but Sazi was interested in him.
“When we were playing in Mtuba, Siboniso “Jomo” Gumede saw him and came to me and asked ‘Coach, how old is this guy? He is a good player,’ and he told me to bring Mbekezeli to train with AmaZulu’s DDC team.
“Sboniso wanted to sign him for the new season, but Gumede moved to Richards Bay before the new season could start and the deal fell through like that.”
But after some time AmaZulu and Arrows rekindled their interest in the player, with Japhet Zwane contacting Mdletshe to bring him to Abafana Bes’thende.
“He was training with AmaZulu then and Arrows were also interested. Japhet Zwane wanted him to come and trial again,” Mdletshe said.
“Pirates contacted Wanda and told him they wanted Mbekezeli to train with them. We were excited. Pirates quickly sent us a plane ticket for him and travelled to Joburg. He trained for one week with Pirates.
“After a week, Wanda called a Pirates team manager to ask what the update was because AmaZulu were ready to conclude a deal with him.
“Pirates told us to forget about that because Mbekezeli was now their player. He had impressed them.”
Working with Mdletshe, who is also a police officer for SAPS Hluhluwe, has helped Mbokazi to remain disciplined.
That’s what Mdletshe is instilling in most of his budding stars as he says without discipline, it’s impossible to make it in any sport.
The coach’s biggest wish is to see the youngster become a regular in coach Jose Riveiro’s Pirates side and graduate to the national team.
Mdletshe believes Mbokazi could seal a move overseas in the next three years if he continues to work hard.
Written by Sithembiso Dindi