Striker Tshegofatso Mabasa believes Orlando Pirates can build on recent successes

Daily Maverick

6 hours ago

Tshegofatso Mabasa is optimistic that the Buccaneers can continue to challenge for, and win, silverware despite the exit of coach José Riveiro.
The power dynamics may have shifted in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) era as Mamelodi Sundowns have grown to dwarf Soweto sides Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs through their league success. But South African households, regardless of where they are, have traditionally supported either the Buccaneers or Amakhosi.
It is also true that a number of players now plying their trade in the PSL grew up in these households, pledging early allegiance to either Chiefs or Pirates. This is especially true for the professionals born in the 1980s and 1990s.
Take Orlando Pirates striker Tshegofatso Mabasa. Born in October 1996 in the township of Botshabelo, just outside Bloemfontein, he is a staunch Pirates supporter. It has been this way since he was a youngster, despite most of his family members being Chiefs supporters.
He may have dreamt of wearing the black kit of the Sea Robbers while growing up, but the path to a professional soccer career is a saturated one. Breaking into professional sport, especially in a country as unequal as South Africa, can transform families.
As such, the odds of Mabasa becoming a professional soccer player and playing for the club of his childhood dreams were minuscule. Yet here he is. Last season his goals helped Pirates clinch the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup trophies under the guidance of Spanish coach José Riveiro. Pirates' bounty this season was leaner, with them only defending the MTN8 and relinquishing the Cup.
Pirates set a new club record of 19 wins in a single PSL campaign. In 2003, 18 wins resulted in them claiming the league title, but in 2025 they finished second to Sundowns for a third successive year.
Despite watching in agony as Sundowns continue to bully all-comers in the Premiership marathon, Pirates found themselves a niche market to exploit.
Knockout kings
Under Riveiro, the Buccaneers became knockout tournament specialists. From mid-2022 to 2025 they reached six finals. They won five and lost the Nedbank Cup to Chiefs a few weeks ago.
The Soweto side also announced itself again in continental soccer, reaching the knockout stage of the African Champions League for the first time since 2013. This was before the South Africans were felled 3-2 in the semifinals by Egypt's Pyramids.
Nevertheless, Mabasa says the team can be proud of all they achieved under Riveiro during his three-year stay in Orlando. Mabasa was speaking after being announced as an ambassador for the Rudy Project, a sports eyewear manufacturer.
'We won't see the amount of work that we've put in, the things that we've managed to achieve this season. They're really great because it's a lot of history that we're making,' Mabasa told Daily Maverick.
'[We are also] leaving our mark as players and leaving a legacy [at] Orlando Pirates so that the next generation has something to follow… It's been a really great season for us.
'We've managed to improve in a lot of things, going as far as we went in the Champions League. We were unfortunate to lose in the semifinals the way that we did, and in the Nedbank Cup final as well,' Mabasa added.
Riveiro magic
He may be a vital cog in the Pirates team right now, but Mabasa's love affair with his childhood club has not always been the most stable. He joined the Soweto side in 2019 from Bloemfontein Celtic, but he was shipped on loan to Premiership side Sekhukhune United in 2022 after struggling to settle and bang in the goals with Pirates.
Even at Sekhukhune he struggled to score, only netting twice and providing only as many assists in 20 matches. He returned to Pirates at the end of the 2022/23 season, but he was once again sent on loan at the start of the new campaign. This time he joined Moroka Swallows.
Swallows' financial struggles in 2023/24 led to Pirates recalling Mabasa from his loan spell in January 2024.
He had already been scoring goals for Swallows before his recall to Soweto.
When he returned to his beloved club, the now 28-year-old seized his chance this time. He ended that season as the Premiership's top scorer, with 16 goals.
Mabasa credits Riveiro, who has joined Egypt's Al Ahly, for the extra spring in his step over the past two seasons.
'He's a great human being… He's impacted us in a very positive way and he's changed our lives, not only us as players, but the fans and the club as well,' said Mabasa.
'Everyone has fallen in love with the person that he is. I really just wish him all the best going into the future and may he continue to achieve greatness,' said Mabasa.
The kids are all right
One of Riveiro's long-lasting impacts will be the number of youngsters he handed first-team breaks to during his tenure. From Relebohile Mofokeng and Mohau Nkota, to Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Simphiwe Selepe, Riveiro showed immense trust in the youth of Pirates.
Mabasa says that, as someone who interacts with these players daily, he is in awe of their abilities and excited by what they will bring to South African soccer if they do not get derailed. 'They're a special breed of youngsters; you don't get to Orlando Pirates by mistake… You must have shown your quality. I believe that they continue to show that whenever they're given the opportunity…
'They must continue to remain humble and… work hard,' Mabasa added. 'The world is their oyster. They can achieve absolutely anything that they want to, as long as they believe.'
Having made his professional debut with Celtic as an 18-year-old in 2014, Mabasa knows all about the pressures that come with being a prodigy. His youthful teammates will do well to heed his wise words. DM
This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.