That Siyabonga Mpontshane is closing in on a decade at Orlando Pirates and has survived nine different coaching changes at the club during that period speaks volumes about the staying power of the man from Ingwavuma, KwaZulu- Natal. Season after season, the 37-year-old is linked with an exit, yet he manages to remain an integral part of the set-up at the Houghton-based club, his recent contract extension until June 2024 a clear indication of that. But what keeps him going? After all, this is a man who, as revealed in the Bucs Camp documentary that aired during pre-season, had tragically lost his son in a pool incident last season. This sad revelation not only showed how his teammates embraced him, but it can be said the perception of fans towards the former Platinum Stars man has since drastically changed. Soccer Laduma's Delmain Faver caught up with the gentle giant (in every sense of the phrase) as he revisits THAT mistake against bitter rivals Kaizer Chiefs, why you need a thick skin to survive as a pro footballer and being down below in the pecking order of goalkeepers at the Soweto giants.
Delmain Faver: Mpontshi, the one thing that really stands out about you is how long you've been in this game, as well as how you have managed to keep yourself useful and ready whenever you are called upon by all coaches who've come and gone at Orlando Pirates. What's the secret, if ever there is one?
Siyabonga Mpontshane: What I can say, my brother, is that for me, I'm very disciplined – I think that is my secret. Someone else will say Mpontshi's situation doesn't make sense, how long has he been at Pirates, but he doesn't play a lot of games and yet he still remains part of the club? I think that is what the club sees in me, and I think I am a positive influence over the players, and I think that is the one thing that keeps me in the team.
DF: Yeah, you've been at the club from the time of Eric Tinkler in 2015. Tell us more about your influence in the dressing room because a lot of people don't get to see that aspect of your game.
SM: You can say that because, as I said, the reality is that I think I am a positive influence on the players and in the dressing room whether I am playing or not. I am the first person to arrive at training and even when we are done training with the team, I do a lot of extra training. So, I think that's what makes coaches love having someone like me as part of the team. I also think that the players look at me and see that I am older than them, but I still do these things. That helps me a lot.
DF: But how do you stay motivated? Obviously, there are times when you don't play and sometimes you find yourself in the stands. How do you keep yourself motivated to say, 'Tomorrow I have to go to work again with a positive attitude and still give my best'?
SM: Eish, one thing about me is that I am very professional. There are certain things that are not in your control and those are the decisions that are made by the coaches. It's the coach who makes a decision to say, "Today I won't be playing Mpontshi", and I never take it personally to a point where I'm disappointed and my spirit is down – no, that's not how it works. If the coach decides that (Richard) Ofori is the one that will be starting today, then it means he saw a need to play Ofori. But that doesn't mean I should feel hard done by or start hating Ofori and saying, "Why is Ofori playing today?" You see such things? What helps is that I have a big heart and I take others into consideration.
DF: You mention Ofori. There's not only him but Sipho Chaine and Melusi Buthelezi as well fighting over that number one jersey. How do you view that competition seeing that you've competed with a lot of top keepers in your time at the Buccaneers?
SM: I think having all these quality keepers will help the team because everyone gets a chance to prove himself and play. It also makes the one who is the number one at the time ensure that his game is on a high level because he knows that if maybe Mpontshi is the one selected today and he has a good game, he will be the one that will play (in the next game). So, that makes the competition very stiff.
DF: Talking of having a big heart, perhaps it's a bit sad with Kopano Thuntsane because he was a young keeper, coming from the development ranks, but unfortunately didn't get his chance and has since left. As someone who's been in the game for so long, what is your advice to him about picking himself up and bouncing back from this setback?
SM: I think what happens from here on will be up to him and a test of how strong he really is because some things can make you doubt whether you are really a good goalkeeper who is capable of performing when called upon, especially when you are at a team like Pirates. For me, however, Kopano is a good goalkeeper, it's just that a big team like Pirates, a young player who has just arrived and starts making mistakes wouldn't last. Because we as senior players, we do make mistakes, but the way it happened is very painful, my brother, I don't want to lie, because you would be too afraid to even go outside or to go to a mall because the fans will attack, you my brother. They think that when you make a mistake, it was done purposely and that you want to ensure that the team loses, but it's not the case. Everyone wants to win. I think when you are a goalkeeper for a club like Pirates, you need to have broad shoulders and a big heart because it's not easy.
DF: If there's one person who would know all about that, it's you. How do you deal with that because fans can praise you for making a number of saves in a match but turn around and criticise you when you make a mistake that leads to the team losing?
SM: My brother, that is the most painful thing about being a goalkeeper because you can make top-class saves for the whole match, like the game I played against Kaizer Chiefs in the Soweto Derby. In that game, I was destined to win the Man of the Match award, but I made a mistake when we conceded and the fans started attacking me. But I'm used to it by now. There's a lot of things that happen and that is not the first time and it won't be the last. I think I'm now at a stage where it doesn't bother me anymore, I've learnt to live with it.
DF: We saw in the Bucs Camp TV series that was aired during preseason, where fans also changed their perception of you because you had opened up about something that was quite painful, losing your son, and we even saw how difficult that was for you. Your teammates also really embraced you, while there was an outpouring of love from the fans. How did you take that experience?
SM: Eish, that is the most painful thing when it comes to our fans, my brother. They don't know what is happening in our personal lives away from the field. Some fans think that we are not human beings, that we are something else. But outside of the field, we are people just like them. Things happen in our lives outside of the field. Eish, I don't know how to explain it, but if the fans can put themselves in our shoes and realise that we are human beings just like them, I think that will make a huge difference.
DF: Do you think that stuff like the documentary helps fans see that you guys are actually human beings? Are you of the view that when the club is open like that and showing those things that we don't usually see, it somewhat bridges the gap between players and fans?
SM: Ja, I do think that helps a lot. As you said, after the story came out from the camp, there was a lot of people who felt compassion for me and would come up to me and say, "Mpontshi, we saw what happened (to you) on TV, we are sorry." That shows that when someone sees something like that happening, they get a sense that you are also human and that you also get hurt.
DF: There's a controversial hashtag that's been doing the rounds on Twitter, #LeagueOrDeath, where a certain section of the Ghost are saying nothing else but the DStv Premiership title will suffice this season. What is it that you guys need to do to win the league? Going into the international break, you find yourselves 11 points behind log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, albeit having played two games less.
SM: I think when it comes to the league, we put ourselves under a lot of pressure by winning two trophies (last season) because I think the fans now have the expectation that we win even more than that. So, for us as players… I don't know… should I call it a high level or what? But our performances have to be at a high level because that is the only thing that will count at the end of the season, because we want to achieve much more.
DF: Mpontshi, thanks so much for your time. We hope the fans will bear with you guys, generally speaking, when you make mistakes out there on the field, knowing that no player ever goes out onto the field with the purpose of losing, and that, to start with, there's a lot that professional footballers go through in their personal lives that they would do with much more love from their club's fans. All the best, big man!
SM: Thank you, brother.
SIYABONGA MPONTSHANE FACT FILE
Date of birth: 17 April 1986
Place of birth: Ingwavuma, KwaZulu-Natal
Nickname: Mpontshi
Position: Goalkeeper
Jersey number: 40
Club: Orlando Pirates
Previous clubs: Nathi Lions, Platinum Stars
Honours: 2013/14 MTN8 winner, 2013/14 Nedbank Cup winner (both with Platinum
Stars), 2015 CAF Confederation Cup runner-up, 2020/21 MTN8 winner, 2021/22 CAF Confederation Cup runner-up, 2022/23 Nedbank Cup winner, 2022/23 MTN8 winner (all with Pirates)
