Orlando Pirates captain Happy Jele has asked for the club’s supporters to remain patient with a team he says is in the process of building towards something special.
Speaking as a guest at the Vodacom Red Track Day Experience at Kyalami on Thursday, where he joined team-mate Brilliant Khuzwayo, several rugby players and Vodacom clients in being treated to an exclusive Ferrari driving experience and a lesson in drifting, Jele reflected on the Buccaneers’ second-place finish in the PSL season.
“We have a new group of players in the team, and they are a bunch of winners who are willing to learn every day, so we want our supporters to be a little bit patient with us. We know we disappointed them with second place this past season, but even they would have seen our fighting spirit and the effort we put in.
“As a team, we will keep on pushing, and I think next season is going to be a different game,” Jele said.
With his Orlando Pirates contract up for renewal, Jele said he was happy to leave that decision with the club and his agent.
“At this point, I am waiting for the team to decide.”
But, with the roar of a Ferrari engine in the background, Jele said his own drive for the game remains as strong as ever.
“Football is still my passion. My kids and family drive me to keep doing better. I know I need to keep working hard for them. And the people from my resident city of Johannesburg who keep supporting me also inspire me. It makes me want to go out there every day and do more and learn more.
“I also need to be an example to the younger players,” said the defender, who hails from Middelburg in Mpumalanga.
He had a message for the country’s young stars: “South African football is growing every season, but we need to challenge ourselves as to why we don’t have more players playing overseas. That’s homework we need to do as players. We need to make sure the next generation gets out there and plays overseas.”