Can Mahlatsi Find His Dancing Shoes At Naturena?

In the latest Edition of iDiski Times, Rob Delport wrote a feature about Kamohelo Mahlatsi and his road from Bayhill Player of the Tournament to signing for Kaizer Chiefs.

Last week as Kamohelo Mahlatsi was unveiled as one of Kaizer Chiefs’ new signings, my mind wandered back to when I first encountered the Amakhosi’s new attacking midfielder.

It was on one of those cold early winter days at Erica Park, at the 2017 Bayhill Premier Cup…

Actually, before I go there, let’s go back ANOTHER year…

In 2016 Mahlatsi was part of a star-studded, young SuperSport United squad that came down to Cape Town for the annual under-19 tournament. 

That year Fagrie Lakay was the top scorer for the Tshwane club, who went on to win the tournament. Mahlatsi, though, was a bit player in 2016, and while he came on off the bench in a few games, I’ll be honest, I didn’t really remember him that year.

The only reason I know he was there is because in 2017, as he stole the show at Erica Park, SuperSport’s then-assistant coach Ricardo Katza told me about it, and how Mahlatsi was almost released by the club as a junior!

Mahlatsi sometimes feels a bit like a throwback to yesteryear. His style, the way he carries himself, his swagger, his skinny frame, the big grin, droopy eyes and relaxed demeanour, made him a character that stood out from the crowd. But sometimes in academies they are looking for those that fit in, more than stand out, and there were concerns that perhaps it was time for ‘Nyaope’ to seek other pastures.

Katza, who at the time told me that while he knows coaches shouldn’t have favourites, Kamohelo was special and he had a soft spot for him, so he fought hard alongside his head coach Kwanele Kopo to keep the then-17-year-old on board.

Kopo had scouted a young Mahlatsi years before that, and he told me he saw glimpses of Jabu Mahlangu and Khama Billiat in the scrawny youngster.

“You know he reminds me of the likes of Jabu Mahlangu, you know the Khama Billiat,” Kopo told me. 

“And when we got him, he was not like this. He was a typical street kid that would just dribble and put the ball between somebody’s legs and lose the ball. 

“He’s not just a player, but he’s got an end product and those are the type of skilful players that we’re looking for. 

“When people talk about the skilful players, they must be what he has, there must be the end product, either he’s creating a goal or he’s scoring a goal. 

“And that’s the directive, and that’s the growth, that’s the education we’ve given him, that with all your skills, we want to see the end product.”

And in 2017, on those cold early winter days, Mahlatsi paid Katza and Kopo back with some scintillating performances. 

At Erica Park there are usually five games going on at the same time, so when SuperSport started playing their early games, I was actually watching at a different field. There were a whole host of junior internationals in the SuperSport squad and they were expected to sail through the group stages, and I was actually watching debutants Cape Town City.

A side-note – 2017 at Bayhill was also an early ‘coaching opportunity’ for two coaches who would go on to become first-team assistants at the Citizens. Vasili Manousakis was coaching City’s first-ever u19 side, as a co-coach alongside Brent Carelse, while Diogo Peral was assisting them. Manousakis became Benni McCarthy’s assistant, and then continued the role under Jan Olde Riekerink, until Benni took over at AmaZulu, and Coach B went to join him in Durban. Peral replaced Manousakis under Olde Riekerink and has continued in the role since Eric Tinkler took over.

Anyway, being friendly with all three of City’s coaches, I was watching them, but I remember a young up-and-coming journalist Thulani Mkosi, came over and said, “Keep an eye on SuperSport’s number five.” Some of you may remember Mkosi from Varsity Football. He was also a skilful midfielder and captained the University of the Western Cape team. At the time, while studying to be a teacher, he had dabbled in football journalism, and I recall Dumisani Koyana, another former player-come-media officer-come-journalist, and now working for Mamelodi Sundowns, had wanted me to meet Thulani and give him some advice. Instead, it was Thulani, or Mr Mkosi to those whom he has gone on to teach, who ended up giving me a good tip!

I won’t lie to you, I’m a sucker for the unpredictable footballer, just ask Thabo Mngomeni or Mark Mayambela, and in the next SuperSport game I watched, Mahlatsi immediately caught my eye. He dribbled and danced through defenders, sent them the wrong way with quick turns, and at times just out-sprinted defenders. 

There’s an element to Mahlatsi that I’ve heard people describe as ‘raw.’ It’s what I thought too when I first saw him, but as I’ve got to see him more, I feel it’s actually part of his style, and what makes him special. It’s a swagger, a loose-ness, that adds to his unpredictable decision-making, and deceptive speed.

He reminded me of a friend who was a pantsula dancer and happened to come from Mahlatsi’s neck of the woods, with a rag-doll physique, and like a pantsula dancer, he has something that is unique to the streets of South Africa.

He was having a purple patch in 2017 and was in ridiculous form in that tournament. In the final against Mamelodi Sundowns, he scored a hat-trick in a 4-2 win. SuperSport’s other goal was actually scored by Sundowns’ latest signing, Sipho Mbule, as they won the Bayhill back-to-back.

Just watch this kid – frame 1 to frame 4 is 5 seconds – Mahlatsi is a little machine for @SuperSportFC #Bayhill2017 pic.twitter.com/bGz0VICxm7

— Rob Delport (@FMSouthAfrica) April 17, 2017

Mahlatsi was a revelation and was unsurprisingly named Player of the Tournament, but by this time I had already become a bit of a pessimist. I have watched a lot of youth football, and while I used to get incredibly excited about young talent and their prospects, I have learned to tone down my expectations. 

Too many of my favourite footballers have ended up in the football wilderness. Sometimes luck isn’t on their side, or they have an injury setback. Sometimes it’s their own fault, and sometimes they are let down by the system. There are so many, but remember Philani Khwela? Remember Sinethemba Ngidi? What about Sherwin Bailey? Heck, even more recently two of my favourites, Bongane Mathabela and Oswin Appollis, both of whom I feel should be starring at DStv Premiership clubs right now, are nowhere to be seen. For whatever reason, it hasn’t worked out how I would have liked for them. 

So when Mahlatsi struggled to break into the SuperSport first team, I had my apprehensions.

However, I was delighted when one of my favourite clubs, and at the time a brand-new NFD franchise, Ubuntu Academy brought him in on loan for the second half of the 2017/18 campaign. 

58’ Kamohelo Mahlatsi set for his Ubuntu debut, replacing Goss@ctallstarsfc 0-0 @ubuntucapetown pic.twitter.com/nZhYqVWbUb

— Rob Delport (@FMSouthAfrica) January 27, 2018

He featured in 11 games, scoring twice, and I got to watch him at training quite a bit, and get to know the character of the player. Bear in mind he was playing in a team that was newly formed, struggled through most of the campaign, and only survived relegation on the final day of the season. 

He was still a teenager, like Ubuntu teammates Luke Fleurs, Jesse Donn and Khanyisa Mayo (Mayo was also on loan from SuperSport, while Fleurs, and Donn a year later, were about to sign for the Tshwane club). Taking all of that into account, he was actually excellent and played a big role in Ubuntu retaining their status that year. It’s also really great to see all four of those players, who were teenagers at the time, flourishing currently.

With some senior football experience under his belt, Mahlatsi returned to his mother club for the following season, but while he was part of the first-team setup, he only featured nine times in 2018/2019, starting just twice, and playing less than 300 hours of Premiership football.

So it came as no surprise when he went out on loan again in 2019/2020, joining neighbours AmaTuks. It paid dividends, and it was a great season in the second tier for Mahlatsi. He played in 27 games and scored 10 goals, and was a standout player for the club, even though they only finished eighth in the GladAfrica Championship.

Actually, it was another good period for the Sebokeng-born player, as he was also part of the national under-23 team, and helped David Notoane’s side qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. 

In the following campaign, Mahlatsi signed for newly-promoted Swallows, and that is where he has been for the past two seasons. He has shown glimpses of what he’s capable of, but he has also developed into a more-rounded player, and featured in 55 games for Swallows in all competitions, scoring three times. 

He was also part of the final squad that went to the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, but the team disappointingly lost all three games in Japan. Mahlatsi started against Mexico, came off the bench  against France, and was an unused substitute against Japan.

5 years of Nyaope…
From Bayhill to Naturena… pic.twitter.com/dFLNkoTIJH

— Rob Delport (@FMSouthAfrica) June 22, 2022

While there’s no guarantee that he will be a star at Chiefs, Mahlatsi does have that X-Factor, and he remains one of my personal favourites, so I really hope this move pays off. Sometimes stars need the right stage to showcase their talents. 

He’s a great character, and if he shines and actually even if he just smiles, his broad toothy grin is sure to win over the Amakhosi faithful.

I’m a big fan of ‘character’, and Mahlatsi has it in bucket loads. While others call him ‘Nyaope’, I always saw him as more of a ‘Pantsula’. I’m no Reggie Ndlovu when it comes to giving out nicknames, but I think it fits him better!

*This story first appeared in Edition 60 of iDIski Times. You can read the original, just click below to read the FREE digital version of the iDiski Times newspaper, with interviews with Noko Matlou, Amogelang Motau, Vasili Manousakis, and Jackson Mabokgwane chatting. There is also a special feature on new Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro, plus we have two great columns, transfer rumours and much more!