What I like about supporting football

Masebe Qina: Buccaneer, how did it feel to become an MTN8 champion for the second year in a row?

Mkhuleko Hlengwa:

It feels good. I think the strength of any champion in a competition as competitive as the MTN8 is the ability to defend to demonstrate that your win was not a fluke. I think the team demonstrated resolve, strength and resilience. It makes one as a supporter to be very proud.

MQ: How confident were you about winning the final against a tough opponent like Mamelodi Sundowns?

MH:

Look, Sundowns is not an easy opponent, and the team is a formidable force, but I was cautiously optimistic that the boys would rise to the occasion and I think they did. Sundowns came with confidence – overconfidence, in fact – and underestimated the resolve of the team wanting to defend the title. In the first three minutes of the game, I realised that we were onto something and luckily, the game went according to my expectations until the end.

MQ: Were you not concerned about the criticism levelled against the team amidst the inconsistent league results and the early exit from the CAF Champions League?

MH:

Well, that’s why I’m saying I was cautiously optimistic because on one hand I was confident in the capability and capacity of the team and the resolve of the team to defend the title, and I think the criticism against Pirates is deserved and I think it’s something they have to look at. The level of inconsistency continues to rise unnecessarily, and I think as a team of capable, very talented and skilful players, with a visionary coach, it’s something they need to look at. The major issue of the team is their concentration lapses, and sometimes it looks to be a matter of a lack of confidence. Sometimes the fight is there and at times it is not there, and with some of the results you look and feel that should not be happening. I think Pirates is the only team in the PSL which is in a position to give Sundowns a good run for their money, but it’s not happening. I do think that there should be a huge Buccaneer patriotism in the team to fight for the team until the very end. My major issue is with the concentration lapses, and I don’t think that the strikers are making sure… and that’s very important.

MQ: What did you think of the atmosphere at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on the day?

MH:

It was beautiful. The atmosphere was electric. It was a beautiful moment for South African sporting history, particularly because as a country, we are struggling to fill up the stadiums. It was a fully packed stadium and Orlando Pirates dominated in the stands and that was an extra motivation to our players. Sundowns supporters were a drop in the ocean in that stadium and I would say that 90% of those who were in attendance were Pirates supporters. But honestly, I think we need to really motivate South Africans and sport lovers to attend games. At the same time, teams in the PSL need to up their quality of play because that’s the drawcard to having fans at the stadiums. Some of the scenes we are seeing of empty stands at the stadiums when games are playing, for a league as big as ours, it’s really a very sad sight. So, we need to be as innovative as a country, but also the players need to put in efforts to make it worthwhile for the supporters to go and watch soccer games at the stadiums. Back to your question, it was electrifying for me and it was nail-biting until the end. The penalty shootout, I think it was one of the best we have witnessed in the country.

MQ: Do you often go to the stadium for football matches whenever time permits?

MH: Up to so far, I’ve only

Apart from being a wellknown politician for his role in the Inkatha Freedom Party and a Member of the National Assembly, Mkhuleko Hlengwa is also a football enthusiast. The well-spoken politician is a big supporter of Orlando Pirates and was at the Moses Mabhida Stadium to witness it for himself as the Buccaneers defeated Mamelodi Sundowns to win the MTN8 last month. In this interview, he speaks to Soccer Laduma’s Masebe Qina about some of the nervewracking moments he had as the two powerhouses of South African football treated supporters to some end-toend football that was only watched two games, and that’s including the final of the MTN8 which we are talking about. Time really does never permit, but I make it a point to be up-to-date with my soccer as far as possible. I think I got the love of soccer from my mother. My mother was a huge Pirates fan and my elder brother, who is my only sibling, is a soccer fanatic. I would say that in his own right, he is a soccer fundi and is very well-versed in anything. We are a family that follow either Kaizer Chiefs or Pirates. My son is a Kaizer Chiefs fan. I attended one of the Soweto derbies with him, which Chiefs won. But the latest standings of Chiefs and quality have demotivated him. But he’s got big interest in the European soccer space and he is a huge Liverpool fan as well. So, soccer is really in the DNA of our livelihoods even if we are not players.

MQ: You were caught on camera appearing to be nervous during the MTN8 final. What was going through your mind?

MH:

Well, I’m so glad that you have raised this as it is allowing me an opportunity to provide clarity. It was a moment when Sundowns had scored, but the goal was disallowed. It was ruled out for offside. The cameraman caught a delayed reaction and, at that time, I wasn’t aware that the goal had been disallowed. I was saying to myself,

spoiled by a strong wind, a game that needed a penalty shootout to be decided. On a more serious note, the 36-year-old shares his concerns about his beloved Buccaneers, reveals why he suspected that the late former IFP President, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, had a soft spot for one particular PSL side and shares ways in which fans can be wooed back to stadiums to watch football.

“After all the effort and the good things that Pirates had done, in the dying minutes Sundowns would come and score.” I was seated next to Arthur Mafokate and, luckily, he drew my attention to say that the goal had been disallowed. I was worried that we would lose because it was towards the end of the game when that happened. Luckily, the offside was picked up by the assistant referee and the referee. I’m glad that a correct

decision was made. The game went to (a) penalty shootout, and I always refer to penalties as the lottery. At that moment, I was very anxious. I had attended the game with my brother and he encouraged me to keep calm and he was quite confident that we would do well. It always helps to have an elder and a bro next to you, but I think (Sipho) Chaine deserved each and every accolade that came his way as he won that game for us. It was a demonstration of goalkeeping that has not been seen in a long time and, for me, he was the Man of the Tournament. Kudos to him for the good work that he did.

MQ: When did you supporting Bucs? MH: Since childhood, I have been a supporter of Pirates and I have never supported any other team in my life. What I like about supporting football is that in the nature of political discourse, we meet a lot of colleagues and we become friends with others, so I’ve got friends in other political parties and we happen to support different teams. What I like is the banter that goes with it at times. The one thing about sports is that it is a tool to nation-building and social cohesion. Sports, and specifically soccer in my case, acts as a tool to demonstrate passion. As my mentor Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi would say, we can agree to disagree without being disagreeable. So, it’s such a powerful tool of nation-building and social cohesion.

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MQ: What team did Prince Buthelezi, who of course recently departed this earth, support?

MH:

The Prince was very private around his soccer preferences and he never made it public. He would quietly enjoy the banter that we had as colleagues, especially after the big games, and maybe around the lunch breaks and so on. He would quietly watch us teasing each other and so on, on Mondays after the weekend’s big games. But I do know and I appreciate the beautiful relationship that he had with Patrice Motsepe and his family. Zachariah Mzila (Prince Buthelezi’s father-in-law) was a contemporary of the Motsepe family and there’s been a long relationship that he (Buthelezi) had with the Motsepe family. At times, you would suspect that he had Sundowns sentiments, but on the other hand, you do know that AmaZulu FC is a team that he played a big role in through the development of the Prince Mangosuthu Legacy Cup that he has hosted alongside the Zululand District Municipality. I know he enjoyed a very good relationship with Lunga Sokhela (former AmaZulu general manager) and now with the current president of the club, (Sandile) Zungu, who is also the chancellor of the Mangosuthu University of Technology. Their relationship also goes a long way back since Mr. Zungu was a student at UCT (University of Cape Town) and he had invited the Prince.

THAT A FAMILY “WE ARE EITHER KAIZER FOLLOW PIRATES. CHIEFS OR IS A KAIZER MY SON ATTENDED I CHIEFS FAN. SOWETO THE ONE OF WITH HIM.” DERBIES

MQ: Thank you for your time, Sir. MH: Thank you so much and God bless you.