I disappointed a lot of Pirates players

“I don’t want to get involved too much on that one. ”

For a fourth time, Justice Chabalala has been loaned from Orlando Pirates, and this time to Sekhukhune United. After it looked like he would finally part ways with the Soweto giants at the end of the 2020/21 season, the club extended the Giyani-born defender’s contract, though it was then decided that he would not form part of this season’s squad. Initially, a loan move to Chippa United was announced for the centre-back, before it was confirmed that he opted to join Babina Noko instead. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Masebe Qina, Chabalala speaks about being loaned again, despite doing everything during pre-season to show the technical team that he was ready to fight for his place at Bucs. He also reveals how his Pirates teammates and the supporters reacted to his latest move. On the bright side, though, the tough-tackling player says he is happy that he has finally got an opportunity to play for a team from his home province of Limpopo.

Masebe Qina: Hosi Ya Mina, it’s back on the road again for the new season after another loan deal was agreed for you from Orlando Pirates to Sekhukhune United. You must be used to these moves by now.

Justice Chabalala: Yes, I am used to it now and all I hope for is to play. I had a lot of teams calling me and asking me to join them for this season, but because I had a contract with Pirates, I couldn’t just decide on my own that I would be joining any one of the clubs. I had to wait for the club to decide for me and I knew that once that happened, I could then take it from there. Pirates have been good to me and the club always decide best things for me.

MQ: How is life in Tembisa?

JC: This is a very good team and it’s one of the professional clubs that I have ever been at in the way things are done here. This club’s professionalism is out of this world and I am enjoying it here, and I was welcomed very well from day one. We have very good coaches, and even if they are young, I take them as my fathers because of their guidance to us. They respect us as players and they treat all of us equally. I like the brotherhood that exists in this environment that I am in and I enjoy working with the coaches as they look forward to giving each and every one of us a chance to play in the team. They are very good coaches, all three of them (MacDonald Makhubedu, Thabo Senong and Abram Mongoya).

MQ: What have the coaches told you about your role in the team?

JC: From the day I arrived at the club, I had a brief chat with the coaches and they explained to me that they had a good family in the team. They were very appreciative of the fact that I chose Sekhukhune to come to when I was being loaned. I was very happy with how I was welcomed and I am looking forward to contributing to the team.

MQ: When your previous loan deal with Bloemfontein Celtic ended, you had been expected to officially leave Bucs permanently as your contract with the club was also ending. What happened?

JC: Look, it was all rumours, and you know that people always talk and that’s why there were those reports that I would be leaving Pirates. But I wasn’t worried because I knew that I had a contract with Pirates and that is why now I am at Sekhukhune United on loan from Pirates.

MQ: You trained with the Soweto giants at some point during pre-season before you left on loan. Tell us about that.

JC: Yes, during pre-season, I trained with Pirates, and I was there for three weeks. It was nice to train with the guys again and I enjoyed it. I am someone who likes to talk and share jokes, and the guys were enjoying that about me in training.

The players were very happy to have me as one of them and we all had fun. After the news broke that I was leaving the club again on loan to Sekhukhune, some of the players called me to ask why I was leaving. The guys were telling me that they needed me to be part of the team and to help the team. Like here at Sekhukhune, we had that brotherhood at Pirates and the guys were clearly not happy to see me leaving. I disappointed a lot of players at Pirates when I left the club, but it was not under my control. I had been close to a lot of players, guys like Happy Jele, Linda Mntambo, Ben Motshwari, Gabadinho Mhango, Vincent Pule, Paseka Mako and Siyabonga Mpontshane. Sometimes I come across the supporters in the street or in shopping malls and they ask me why I left the club. I just tell them that it is football and that I also don’t know. You know there are a lot of Pirates supporters everywhere and others are telling me that I should have stayed, and I tell them that maybe my time will come for me to play at Pirates. I tell them the fact that I have left Pirates on loan means that I still have a chance of coming back to the club to play one day.

MQ: What was going through your mind when you were training with the club before they decided on another loan move for you?

JC: Look, for me, it is a blessing that I am here at Sekhukhune and I don’t want to dwell much on what didn’t happen. I am happy that I am still in the PSL, and we are all professionals after all. Like I said, Sekhukhune is very professional and so is Orlando Pirates in how they do things. But what I can tell you about my time training with Pirates is that I never stopped giving 100% effort and commitment in training. I did everything to show that I wanted to play for Pirates. I did everything, and as you know, the coaches are not the same. I thought that I had a chance to remain at the club this season because I gave 100% in everything, I did to show that I wanted to play for Pirates. I don’t blame anyone and I don’t blame the coaches. Like I say, the coaches are not the same, as some prefer certain players to play, while others prefer different players, and that is why I am saying that my time will come for me to play at Pirates. I can’t blame the coaches, and if I want to blame anyone, I will blame myself instead.

MQ: In your previous interview with Soccer Laduma, you said that coach Josef Zinnbauer congratulated you for your performance for Celtic against the Buccaneers. What did the coach say to you during pre-season?

JC: From what I understand, I had a good relationship with coach Zinnbauer and I don’t know (why he didn’t keep me). Maybe it’s something I did wrong which I didn’t know about or maybe I didn’t give him and the technical team what they wanted. Maybe I didn’t show him what I showed during that game between Celtic and Pirates. I really don’t know what happened. But if you remember that game, and like I said in the previous interview, the coach was the one who came to me to congratulate me for a good performance after that game. I understand that besides him being the head coach at the time, he didn’t make decisions on his own. He made decisions based on their observation as the entire technical team and that’s why I say I don’t know what happened and I really can’t blame anyone for everything that has happened.

MQ: What were you told as the reason for being loaned out this time around?

JC: I was told to go and get gametime. I’ve been given an opportunity to go and fight to play in each and every game. I’m aware of the fact that I’m a defender and will sometimes be ruled out for certain games due to suspension and stuff, but I will do my best to feature as much as I can in the games for Sekhukhune this season. I understand that sometimes I will have to wait for someone in my position to get injured or something like that, but I’m looking forward to giving it my all for the team. Football is like that.

MQ: How did you learn that you were going on loan yet again?

JC: Pirates is a very professional club, and they came to me and told me how much they love me and how much they value me. I was told to go and play and I was promised that I would come back again.

MQ: Pirates announced that you would be joining Chippa United before you requested to be loaned to Sekhukhune. What happened?

JC: (Laughs) About that one, I don’t want to lie to you, and to be honest, I don’t know. Like I told you that I am happy that I am still in the PSL, I would be happy to play for any team in the PSL. But with regards to what happened between Pirates, Chippa and Sekhukhune, I don’t know. I don’t want to get involved too much on that one.

MQ: What are your chances of regular game-time at Babina Noko?

JC: We have very good players in the team and the competition for places is high and I like it. Everyone is working hard to show the coaches that they want to play. But everywhere and in every team, the competition is there. It is up to us as players to show that we want to play by working hard. What I like is that the coaches are willing to give a chance to everyone who shows them that he wants to play. But as a player, you have to first work hard in training to show them that you want to play.

MQ: What did club chairman Simon Malatji tell you when you joined?

JC: He was happy to see me join the club and being part of the family. He congratulated me for choosing the club and to be with them this season and he was very happy that I came. He welcomed me very well. On that note, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the chairman and the club for showing interest in me and for wanting me to join them. I remember that some time ago, I was sitting at home and thinking about my future, and I said I would love to play for a team from my province of Limpopo one day and I’m happy that it has now happened. I used to think about this from the days of Black Leopards in the topflight, as well as Baroka FC and TTM (Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila, now Marumo Gallants) that I would love to play for my home team, and I am glad that it has finally happened.