Pyramids FC coach Rulani Mokwena has revealed why he advised Sipho Mbule to join Orlando Pirates after leaving Mamelodi Sundowns.
Mbule, 28, joined the Buccaneers ahead of their treble-winning season and played an important role, especially in the first half of the campaign.
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Overall, Mbule featured in 23 appearances for the Buccaneers, before leaving the club ahead of the 2026/27 campaign to Zakho SC in Iraq.
After Mbule did state that he had consulted several of his former coaches, including Mokwena, where he should go after leaving Sundowns, Mokwena shared his version of their chat and why he did advise him to Pirates during an online press conference with the South African Football Journalists Association.
“I grew up in Orlando West, I grew up watching Orlando Pirates as a kid. I’m fortunate enough to also understand the culture of the club. I’m fortunate enough to understand the history of the club. I am fortunate enough that I spent many years being educated about the club by Dr. Koza,” he stated.
“But having said that, I also know what type of player the club appreciates, the fans appreciate. I know the type of football that is in the veins of the [fans] and I knew it better once I had coached there because there’s a part of the stadium – now it’s Orlando Amstel Arena – but when it was really Orlando Stadium, there was there’s always been a part there on on the side, the grandstand that has the players like Steve Lekolea, like Thabo Rakhale, like Khethokwakhe Masuku and [Thabo] Qalinge, these type of players that always play close to this side of the of of the pitch.
“And I know that the type of player that Pirates appreciates, and they are quite different. The players that are appreciated at the Kaizer Chiefs, they are quite different. The players that are appreciated culturally at Mamulodi Sundowns, they are quite different, and the players that are appreciated at Orlando Pirates have a different type of profile.
“And Sipho Mbule has this type of profile, where at the Amstel Arena, first is you have to give us a show, we pay to come and watch. And always it has been like this. The club has always had in the history from a long time Bazooka Seshweni to John Moeti to Dumisa Ngobe to Gavin Lane, Gerald Raphahlela, Mark Fish, these players were always stalwarts. They were important cornerstones for the club, but the fans never paid.
“They the Orlando Pirates fans don’t pay tickets to come and watch these type of players, with all due respect. You know the Orlando Pirates fans tell you they come to watch the Steve Lekoleas, the Teko Modises, the Siphos.
“That’s why Sipho Mbule till today, if you ask the Pirates fans, and I think Sipho made a very good decision because till today, I think if you ask the Pirates fans, they enjoyed Sipho Mbule. They enjoyed having Sipho on the pitch and and caressing the ball.
“And you can go into the history you will find many of these players and even some great players have played for Orlando Pirates, but there’s a small aspect that separates the ones that are really loved by the fans to the ones that are really an important cornerstone of the club.
“And you see it, you know, Tebogo Moloi, these type of players, Jomo Sono. I mean, the picture that stands out for many years is Jomo Sono standing on the ball against Kaiser Chiefs. You know, this is one of the most important pictures for Orlando Pirates in its history.
“So these type of players like Sipho, who have this capacity to bring this level of entertainment into the pitch, they have more comfort in playing for Orlando Pirates than most other players who lack this capacity.”
‘Sipho made the right decision’
Mokwena went on to explain that he thought Mbule made the right decision and he feels he played an important part in the club’s title-winning campaign, especially in the first half of season.
“And Sipho I think he had made the right decision because in some very important moments last season he was, especially the first part of the season, which a lot of people will tell you is that’s when you don’t win the league, but that’s when you can lose the league,” he continued.
“And some of the games that Sipho played in the earlier parts of the season were so important, and the results were so important to help Orlando Pirates not lose the league and to stay in the championship, and up until the end. And I think he had made the right decision.
“I wasn’t aware of the other clubs that were that were after him. In fact, he didn’t mention to me that Chiefs had also made an offer. What he had asked me was whether or not he should join Orlando Pirates and what my thoughts were.
“And I just gave I just gave my opinion in relation to what I thought about Sipho as a football player, what I thought about Orlando Pirates as a football club, and yeah, at the end he had to make his own decision, and he chose to go to Orlando Pirates, and I think even in retrospect and looking back, I think it was the right decision.”