Life has not always been easy for Orlando Pirates striker Tshegofatso Mabasa, but he has worked tirelessly and deserves credit for what he has done to get back to top form.
At times, going out on loan can be discouraging. When you look at how his loan spell at Sekhukhune United went last season, it seemed as his career was going in the wrong direction. But the player did not give up on himself and the Cosafa Cup with Bafana Bafana last year during the off-season was exactly what he needed to rediscover himself.
At the time, after performing well at the Cosafa Cup, I thought he would go back to Pirates, but he joined Swallows and, importantly, did not allow that to get him down. He worked and inspired the Dube Birds to a good start to the season, scoring six goals for the club before the turmoil at the club led to his Bucs return.
Now, back in the famous black and white colours of the Buccaneers, Mabasa is showing why the Soweto giants signed him in the first place. The absence of Evidence Makgopa meant that someone in the team had to step up and Mabasa was more than ready to get the job done for Pirates upfront.
When I interviewed him a few weeks ago for our newspaper, he was adamant that he is still in the race to win the golden boot award. He was spot on because right now he is just one goal behind Mamelodi Sundowns forward Lucas Ribeiro Costa on the top scorers' chart. With just under 10 matches left in the season, he certainly has a good chance of ending the campaign as the top scorer.
Mabasa deserves credit for bouncing back the way he did and his form comes at a good time for the Buccaneers as they are on course to defend their Nedbank Cup title, while there is also second place to play for in the Premiership. He could just be the man to ensure that they finish the campaign on a high.
It would not come as a surprise if Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos calls Mabasa up for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
