They don’t take us seriously

“I’m still focusing on Stellies so that I can get even more recognition.”

Hard work is the mantra by which Sibongiseni Mthethwa lives. It is also this virtue, from which his nickname ‘The Ox’ stems, that saw Stellenbosch FC rope him in and his career has soared in the space of eight months. However, the midfielder sees his role as one that is unappreciated in the modern game as their more flamboyant counterparts are often hallowed, while the grafters’ robust and sometimes simple style is frowned upon. Despite the lack of adulation, Mthethwa has this season managed to capture the eye of many, including Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos, not to mention a number of admirers in Jo’burg, who are understood to be monitoring his progress closely. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Delmain Faver, the steely midfielder speaks about his incredible turnaround in fortunes.

Delmain Faver: The Ox, it’s been an incredible couple of months for you since joining Stellenbosch FC in February this year. How has the transition been for you?

Sibongiseni Mthethwa: Ja, ja, Delmain, it’s been an incredible couple of months for me, I can’t lie. A lot has changed for me. (There’s) a lot that I learnt here at Stellies, so it’s been a good couple of months for me because there is a lot that I did and there’s a lot that I’ve achieved, so it’s been good.

DF: A lot of people were taken by surprise by how quickly you adjusted to life in the Cape Winelands considering that you were at Black Leopards, up north of the country, prior to that.

SM: No, eish… A lot of people can be surprised, but there is nothing to be surprised about because if you are there to work, you have to work. There is nothing surprising actually because even at Leopards, I was working and even when I got to Stellenbosch, I had to work. I’m just doing my job, so there’s not much of a surprise really.

DF: What was it that coach Steve Barker outlined as his expectation upon your arrival?

SM: You know, coach Steve is someone who believes in hard work a lot. He is someone who believes in people who work and who like to do their job on any good day. So, his expectation was for me to work for the team and not to work for myself and for me to do the job that he wants me to do, and I’m doing exactly that. That is what he saw from me when they were scouting me, so I’m doing what they brought me here for and I’m doing it correctly, that’s what I can say. Now that I’m at Stellenbosch, I haven’t changed anything from what they first saw in me.

DF: You helped the team to their highest ever finish in the topflight in the 2021/22 season, where Stellenbosh finished fourth in the DStv Premiership standings. What was the secret behind that achievement?

SM: Ha, ha, ha, no, I can’t say I helped the team to finish where they did. What I can say is that I helped them maintain that position because they were close when I got there. So, there’s nothing much. I just did my job for that four months and we ended up there on top. All of us were doing a job as a team.

DF: Because of having qualified for the MTN8, expectations were naturally increased on the team. Did that put you guys under more pressure at the beginning of the current campaign?

SM: (Sighs) Ja, eish! Expectations are always there, so we are all expected to perform as a team and as a whole. That is what they hired us for. It’s not like the expectations are more on me because I don’t play alone. We play as a team. If I don’t perform, it means the team will suffer and if they don’t perform, then I will suffer. This means we must all do our jobs together. The pressure will always be there. Because we don’t wanna end up fighting relegation, we have to deal with the pressure and increase our performances when we come back from this

break.

DF: Your personal performances in the middle of the park have been outstanding and have got the local football fraternity to sit up and take notice. Did the fanfare surrounding you take you by surprise?

SM: Ja, you can say that I’ve exceeded all my expectations with my personal performance. Sometimes you don’t plan to perform, but the only thing you plan for is to do the right job at the time, which is usually followed by a good result. So, I won’t say I was doing it for the fanfare or I was doing it for the fans, but I am just doing the job that I am hired for. I suppose if you do your job, then of course the end-product will come.

DF: Of course, these bright displays saw you being called up by coach Hugo Broos to the Bafana Bafana squad to face Botswana and Sierra Leone in friendlies in September. What were your thoughts on receiving your maiden call-up?

SM: Ja, my performance did catch a lot of eyes, including coach Broos’ eyes. So, eish, it was a good experience, I can’t lie. It’s something that I still wish for, I still have to fight for. I also want to maintain my spot there at the national team, so I need to work more so that I will keep my spot. But then it was a good experience. It felt good to be there. I also want to fight for my country with the whole nation backing us.

DF: What did you make of your performance against Botswana?

SM: My performance against Botswana? Ha, ha, it was just a normal performance because I was following the instructions of the coaches. That’s how I play football. If the coaches give me instructions, I will always follow them, then I add to it. That’s how you maintain your place. I think I played well. I did what everyone expected me to do, and we ended up winning, so it was a good experience. Also, playing against Botswana, they are a team who plays good football, so it was a good performance from me, I won’t lie.

DF: The position you play in, defensive midfield, can sometimes be seen as doing the ‘dirty work’ and letting the others dominate the spotlight. Would you say there is enough recognition for players who keep it neat, tidy and tucked in like you do?

SM: Ja, that position is called a dirty work position. Recognition is not always there because sometimes they think we are the people who can’t play football, we can only mark and do the dirty job, as you say. So, I don’t think the recognition for players who play in that position is there. It’s not enough because these are players who can break opponents’ attacks, people who can intercept. Those are the ball winners and those are the people who start the moves. From the build-up, you have to include that person. So, sometimes the recognition is not there, even though it’s a key position on the field. It is part of the spine of the team. They don’t take us seriously, so we feel as if we are not recognised enough.

DF: When one performs as well as you’ve been doing, naturally there are links to some of Gauteng’s biggest clubs. What were your thoughts on all the talk surrounding your future earlier this season?

SM: Ha, ha, ha. The talks will always be there, but as for me right now, I’m still focusing on helping the team improve, so I won’t say much about that because we all want to succeed. The links will be there, but for me, hayi (no), I’m still focused here on Stellenbosch because I still want to perform more. Maybe I will take a decision when time goes on, later, but right now, I’m still focusing on Stellies so that I can get even more recognition – maybe even from overseas, you understand? So, I won’t say much about that. My only thought right now is to keep the topflight position for my team and to perform well for myself.

DF: You still have a contract with the club that runs until 2024. Is a big move something that you’re thinking of at the moment?

SM: Ja, I still have a contract with Stellies until 2024. No, there’s no big move for me. Sometimes perseverance is the mother of success, so I still have to wait for my chance – maybe that move will come. As I said, we all want to succeed, but for me right now, it is to focus on my performance, on my game and on my team, which is Stellies, you know. I have to do a better job for my team. Even at home… you have to do things at home before you do things for yourself, so I’m still focusing on my team. We want to finish in the top four, we want to be in the Top Eight. That’s

all that we want.

DF: The Ox, thanks so much for your time and all the best for the second half of the season. SM: Thanks a lot, my man.