Orlando Pirates man on the rise Mohau Nkota has opened up about the role Relebohile Mofokeng has played in helping him adapt to first-team football.
Having impressed during his DStv Diski Challenge days, Nkota was handed a first Pirates senior team appearance in a 1-0 win over Richards Bay FC in November 2024, coming off for Monnapule Saleng after a 74-minute shift.
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The nimble-footed winger has gone on to make 23 more appearances in all competitions, contributing four goals and three assists.
Among the four goals was an important brace against Algerian giants CR Belouizdad in his first-ever CAF Champions League appearance as Bucs triumphed 2-1 away from home in the group stage.
His first, however, was a goal against AmaZulu FC weeks prior, as the Soweto giants emerged 2-1 victors.
Nkota has now come out to share how Mofokeng played a pivotal role in helping him settle in.
"For the first goal (against Belouizdad), I didn't have a celebration, so I went straight to the coach to thank him for the opportunity," Nkota explained, speaking to Pirates media.
"The second goal, I remembered that I love dancing, so I went to dance. Then I went to thank Rele because he is someone who, no matter... he has been one of the people who supports me in everything I do.
"Whether I'm doing well or not doing well, he speaks to me and he tells me: 'Boy, the environment you are in is different, so you have to be like this or like that. When I also started, it was like this and that'. So, yes, that's why I thanked him," he added.
Mohau Nkota scores his second goal for the night, assisted by Relebohile Mofokeng AGAIN.
— Golden Brown Skin Girls (@HomeAwayWin) October 25, 2024
Ama2K is destroying AmaZulu. pic.twitter.com/2NPspZKZ2i
Nkota has also recently been spotted leading Pirates' pre-match songs, popularly known as igwijo and has gone on to explain who the inspiration behind that is, in a dressing room full of superstars.
"What made me sing, it's Rele who made me, dragged me to the front to come and sing.
"In the DDC, I used to sing. Even if the person who normally sings was not in the squad, then I would sing. So, Rele knows that I can sing and that I listen to gwijo almost every day. Not most of the time, but everyday I listen to gwijo.
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"So, Rele dragged me to the front. He was like, 'No, man, you can hear Bhodlela's (Nkosinathi Sibisi) voice is not the right one for this song, come and lead the song'. So, I came to the front. Rele then told Bhodlela that Mohau will sing, then I sang," explains the Kimberley-born lad.