Jele should remain Pirates captain – Manenzhe

With a lot of speculation going around regarding Orlando Pirates captaincy after the signing of Bafana Bafana captain Thulani Hlatswayo, former Buccaneer Phumudzo Manenzhe says defender Happy Jele should remain the skipper of the club.

READ MORE: Orlando Pirates unveil more signings. 

Hlatswayo recently joined Pirates, having been the skipper of the now defunct Bidvest Wits and also wears the armband for the South Africa national men’s senior team.

Manenzhe, however, believes Hlatswayo’a addition to the team with his leadership qualities can only lift off the weight of leadership on Jele, while other players at the team like goalkeeper Wayne Sandilands and midfielder Ben Motshwari can also assist in guiding the squad.

“The captain of Orlando Pirates is Happy Jele, he has been at the club for many years. He knows the culture of the team very well. He came into the team as a young 18-year old. I was still there and I remember him taking me through the paces at the club” said Manenzhe.

“He has been fantastic captain, unfortunately he is yet to lift a trophy in the past five years. But … the captain is not only the person who wears the armband. You need Wayne Sandilands to command his area and also assist Jele in terms of leadership qualities and spreading the message. You need a Ben Motshwari now because he is established now at Pirates. He is the first name that goes onto the team sheet when you talk about midfielders or defensive midfielders. You need him to up his game and communicate more and also read the game and help Jele in leading that Pirates team.”

The 33-year old Jele is fresh from having his contract extended with one more season, and could well still play a key role in the Buccaneers’ side in the 2020/21 season.

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