While he was having a good time socialising at the exclusive screening of Giants, an Orlando Pirates docuseries, Zakhele Lepasa got surprising news.
The striker was named in the South African squad set to take part at the African Nations Championship (CHAN), which will be hosted in three East African Countries -Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The tournament will be played from August 2 to 30 and the South African team will be coached by former Kaizer Chiefs mentor Molefi Ntseki.
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The news of being in the squad on Thursday evening seemed to come as a surprise for Lepasa, who said he still has to think about it, after spending the whole of last season being out recovering from injury. Lepasa did not feature at all for the Buccaneers last season and there's been talk about him no longer being an employee of the Soweto giants.
"I'm yet to think about it (CHAN). What's crazy about CHAN is that a lot of us players play and when we are regulars in our teams, we tend to take CHAN and an opportunity like that for granted, until a situation like this comes where you have not played for a while and you understand how important it is," Lepasa told media on Thursday evening at Orlando Stadium, after the exclusive viewing of Giants.
"Now, it's as important as going to Bafana Bafana or to go play in the qualifiers or to go play at AFCON (Africa Cup of Nations). I'm yet to think about it, to be honest, but I'm definitely happy. For me, it's not just about being happy. If I can see myself playing again, training well and feel like myself again...that's one thing I am looking forward to."
The squad released by SAFA claimed that Lepasa is a free agent, referring to him as an 'unattached' player, and the striker had a response to that.
"I am still an Orlando Pirates player, unless discussed otherwise."
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The exclusive viewing of the docuseries Giants, which delves into the lives of Pirates players, is a perfect platform for footballer supporters to see that players are humans too.
"Firstly, I want to thank SuperSport and the Giants team, and most importantly Orlando Pirates for giving us the platform and the opportunity to be part of such a beautiful production. I think it's amazing, it's touching and it's raw. A lot of people are going to see how we live our lives and what we normally get up to. They are going to experience what our families are like and I think that's what's exciting about it.
"It's important for people to see the other side of our lives so that they can unnderstand we are human beings and maybe also lower expectations in terms of certain things they might think."
