What Pienaar brings to the PSL – Mahlangu

The ex-Bafana skipper joined Gavin Hunt’s Bidvest Wits on a free transfer, putting an end to his illustrious stay abroad which lasted for over a decade and a half, where he last represented English side Sunderland.

“Steven has done well, we need to salute him. He is a true legend. He has done what he was supposed to do, he is 35-years-old now and has achieved a lot in football,” Mahlangu told Phakaaathi.

“He is going to be a good example for the young players, not only at Wits, but the PSL as a whole. To have the brand of Steven Pienaar playing in the PSL – that on its own is massive for the league.

“He represented South Africa and he never let us down. But like everyone, he had challenges. I remember when he went to Germany to play for Borussia Dortmund, things didn’t go well for him but he never gave up and he did not decide to come back home at that stage,” said Mahlangu.

He continued: “Steven manned up and I’m sure he told himself that to be among the great players, sometimes you will have a rough phase in your career, but you have to hang in there and he did.”

Mahlangu is, however, somewhat disappointed by the return of Daylon Claasen and Ayanda Patosi who joined Wits and Cape Town City respectively.

He believes the duo should have stayed in Europe, and even go as far as reading from Pienaar and Benni McCarthy’s scripts of how they managed to prolong their careers on foreign soil.

“They should have asked Benni and Pienaar about the challenges and the difficulties they faced while away from home and what made them hold on for so long.

“They would’ve have given them the right guidance, instead of coming back home at their prime, for me that speaks of cowardice,” the legend concluded.