Sibusiso Vilakazi – Fact File

Vilakazi Aiming For More Glory With The Students


A round of applause for Sibusiso Vilakazi, the Bidvest Wits midfield man had a stellar season last term, in which he scored and created goals for The Students, and that culminated in him being named the PSL Footballer of the Season. The Meadowlands-born player also had an opportunity to go on trial at Brondby IF and feels that there is still more to come from him. He speaks about the factors behind his and the team’s great campaign, as well as how Gavin Hunt gets the best out of them. 



Personal Information

Full Name: Sibusiso Vilakazi

Date Of Birth: 29 December 1989

Place of birth: Meadowlands, Soweto



Nickname: Villa

Position: Midfielder

Jersey No: 10



Current Club: Bidvest Wits

Previous Club: Wits juniors




Hi Villa, you were the star of the PSL awards after an impressive season with Wits. 

To be quite honest with you, I did not expect to walk away with three awards. I was hoping to get one, but I received three. It was an amazing night for me. I was emotional. When I went up there three times to collect the trophies, it felt like a dream come true.

Has being named captain contributed to your success this season? 

I think the position I am in, having been appointed the team`s captain, has highly motivated me. I want to lead a team which is successful. I want to lead one which is unique. I am playing with players who want to win, and that, in itself, gives me that push. I have had to understand the position and that has given me the will to succeed. You have to have that will, it comes from a burning desire inside of you. It`s been great I have to say.

Has this role changed anything for you? 

You still have to respect other people in the team and earn that respect from your peers. But then, I’m that kind of person who always takes responsibility of adding to the team, making the team win and contributing something to the team. All I want is to see my team getting positive results next season. Being a captain you obviously play another role as well. You have to take things into your own hands sometimes, to show why you have been appointed to this role and that people see something in you. 

Some people might find it strange for a 24-year-old to be named captain ahead of the likes of Mathew Booth, Onismor Bhasera and Moeneeb Josephs, who have been in the game longer than you. 

I think it’s a situation where everyone contributes. You find the experienced players playing their part. Being the captain doesn`t necessarily mean that everything that I do it’s only me. The older guys come into play as well with their experience. They have made my captaincy role more comfortable. When you have so many leaders in the team, your job becomes comfortable. A team that is driven by a lot of leaders, at some point, will succeed. Trust me, it will.

It can`t be that easy to lead players from different backgrounds and races. Football is also a game of egos. 

Look, at the end of the day, when you are coming to do your job, you have to focus. When you wake up in the morning, you know you are going to work and you have a job to do, so obviously you have to have that right mind-set, that`s because you are going to do your job. You are going to do something that enables you to provide for your family. So you have to respect that and you have to go out there and give 150%.

Looking back at the past season, which areas of your game did you feel needed fine–tuning? 

I`d say it was scoring goals. That`s the main thing I was looking at when the season started. I had to compare myself to the previous season. I have been improving gradually, season by season, and I put myself in goalscoring situations. Even last season, I was not that happy with scoring eight goals because I believed I could have had more. I won`t say there is pressure on me now, but rather motivation. It`s a test for me to say “can I take it to another level?” I don`t look at how other players have done or what other people are saying, what`s important is what I do for myself. Can I do it for myself? Can I take it to another level? That`s good and I believe I can take it to another level.

Villa, thank you so much for your time, hope you have a great new season. 

Thank you. To the people who voted for me as PSL footballer of the season, I`m grateful for that and I really appreciate it.