Hlatshwayo Opens Up On His Pirates Exit

After two seasons at Pirates, Hlatshwayo opted to leave Pirates, and he has now re-united with Gavin Hunt at SuperSport United.

Hlatshwayo was speaking in the latest edition of iDiski Times to senior newspaper writer Velile Mnyandu about his decision to leave Pirates, and what was going through his mind.

Hlatshwayo said although he made the decision that he had to leave, he waited until the end of the season before saying anything.

“It was really difficult,” Hlatshwayo told iDiski Times.

“I think the decision had been creeping in my mind in my thoughts even in my sleep. You think you are sleeping but you are not, just the eyes that are closed. A lot of thoughts happening and you say okay this is what I want to do, what are people going to say? That I’m a failure? That Pirates was too big for me? That I couldn’t deal with the pressure? NO! All of that is not the truth but I’m not one to go out there and post something that is going to be read between the lines.

“I’m more of an introvert. I deal with things by myself with the people that are close to me and being honest to them about what I want to do.  And how I’m going to do it, I have to wait for the season to end and do it professionally, not be a rotten apple around the team.

“The team was contesting for bigger things, making history, and putting our names in the history books of Orlando Pirates. The team was travelling, playing locally and in Africa. Though in some games I’d be put in the team and then when you look at the situation at that time it needs me.

“And I’d be like okay read between the lines, now we need character we need people who are going to fight, we need experience in Africa, oh okay. But when we play against other teams or we don’t need experience in Africa now?

“So, you read between the lines, you read all those things. You read the body language and everything. Because we were about to make history with the final in Nigeria and I felt, you know what, there’s that thing that it needs but I’m not that kind of player and let me push the guys, let me support the guys. 

“I was on the touchline with the coaches and everything you know supporting the guys, unfortunately, it was decided on penalties and there’s nothing that we can do with it.”