Mahachi has found his happy place
IT’S been a tumultuous ride for Kudakwashe Mahachi.
Although the Zimbabwean has yet to live up to his billing as a PSL superstar (he had trials and tribulations at Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates, which are now thankfully a thing of the past) the 26-year-old is now finally enjoying himself – with SuperSport United.
“SuperSport is a good family to me,” Mahachi said.
“They are very welcoming. The club has offered me an opportunity to revive my career because I wasn’t getting game time at Pirates. I’ve now adapted to the club’s style of play. What has made it even easier for me is that I have my home boys from Zimbabwe (Onismor Bhasera and Evans Rusike), including the coach (Kaitano Tembo).
“They have helped me to understand the culture of the club. I would lkee to thank them. It was difficult for me coming from a big team like Orlando Pirates.”
Mahachi previously joined Matsatsantsa’s bitter cross-town rivals Sundowns back in 2014 but failed to live up to expectations. He was then loaned out to Golden Arrows a year later and transferred to the KwaZuluNatal club in 2016.
At Abafana Bes’thende he performed with distinction.
That’s when Pirates recognised his extraordinary talent. In 2018, Mahachi was a Buccaneer.
“At big teams like Sundowns and Pirates there’s a lot of pressure and the competition for places is tough because they have quality players from all departments,” he said.
“If you get your chance and you don’t use it, it will be difficult for you. It is even worse when you are a foreigner and you are not giving them what they want. I was starting to find my feet at Pirates when I was told to go to SuperSport. It took me time to adapt to their culture but they said I’m heading to SuperSport, and I agreed.
“SuperSport is a good team. They are hungry for success and they are always challenging for silverware. I had to accept it,” he added.
Plying his trade in two of South Africa’s biggest teams, however, has helped Mahachi to develop a winning mentality and he is now extra hungry for success.
“As a player, it is very important to be honest with yourself,” he said.
“When I arrived at Sundowns, I was still young. I think I was 20 years old. It was my first time playing in the big league. I was still nervous as I was coming from Zimbabwe. I only found myself when I was at Arrows.
“I know that people will say that ‘Kuda’ is for small teams but
I’m a regular in the national team. I believe that everything happens for a reason. I’ve learned a lot from playing in big teams. I have now developed the mentality of playing to win. At these teams, you are not playing for pleasure. It is not about the top eight or relegation. They want to win trophies.”
Mahachi has already bagged himself a title in the form of MTN8 championship this season.