Orlando Pirates youngster Mbekezeli Mbokazi has been doing well since his promotion to the senior team.
He has played the last nine games for the Soweto giants since making his debut against Chippa United in the Premier Soccer League outing early in March. At just 19, he has now become a crucial figure for the team that looked out of depth at the back when Olisa Ndah and Thabiso Sesane were injured, and Tapelo Xoki was struggling for fitness after an extended period on the sidelines.
The latest assignment was on Wednesday night in the second leg of the Caf Champions League quarter-final outing against MC Alger. Mbokazi played a crucial role alongside Nkosinathi Sibisi and Xoki as the Sea Robbers kept a clean sheet to qualify for the semi-final.
Mbokazi lauded by Xoki owing to his obedience
Xoki is happy with how Mbokai is doing his work at the club, and his willingness to learn from the more experienced players. He then revealed what they are doing to ensure he delivers effectively despite being a teenager.
“He [Mbokazi] has made it easy for us to play with him. He listens, and he works hard, so we just guide him where we need to,” the 30-year-old told the media.
“We don't want to give him too much information, but we let him play his game, allow him to make mistakes, and cover him when he makes those mistakes. We just encourage him to be himself; we don't want to impose a lot of information on him and all the other youngsters in the team. The sky is the limit for him.”
What next in the Caf Champions League and the Nedbank Cup?
“We know that the job is not done. We're in the semis [of the Caf Champions League] and the goal is just to take it one game at a time, so we keep the dream alive. We celebrate, but we have a big game on the weekend, the Nedbank Cup semifinal, so our focus is on that now,” Xoki continued.
“We know that in cup competitions, you have to be resilient, and when it's time to suffer, you have to take it and stay strong; when you get a chance, you punish the opponent, so our team has grown in the last few years.
“You can see even with the youngsters, when they are required to defend, they defend, and we assist one another at all times. I don't want to call it dark art, but we're a resilient team that are pushovers,” he concluded.
The Nedbank Cup semi-final against Marumo Gallants will be played on Sunday at the Orlando Stadium.
