Orlando Pirates striker Zakhele Lepasa has spoken out about the rough ride he went through when he was nursing a long-term injury. The 25-year-old forward suffered an ankle fracture against Chippa United in December 2020 and was sidelined for over a year. Get fired up and bet on all the drama of local diski ALSO…
Orlando Pirates striker Zakhele Lepasa has spoken out about the rough ride he went through when he was nursing a long-term injury.
The 25-year-old forward suffered an ankle fracture against Chippa United in December 2020 and was sidelined for over a year.
Last Saturday, Lepasa scooped the man of the match award in the Buccaneers’ 2-0 victory over TS Galaxy where he scored his first goal since November 2021.
Having missed so much action while watching from the stands, the Soweto-born star says he was forsaken by many during his rocky road to recovery.
“When I got injured, a lot of people moved away from me,” Lepasa told Sports Night Amplified with Andile Ncube.
“A lot of people that I thought were now my friends, a lot of people that I thought always supported me, they moved away from me.
“And then you start seeing also people start having conversations about the team without you and it gives you a different perspective about life.
“You’re no longer on a high horse, you now realise I’m like everyone else and it humbles you and I’m glad that it happened at my age.
“And I actually saw that this is humbling me more than anything.“
Lepasa said that the difficulties he endured while injured have brought some changes in his off-the-field habits.
“And now, the weekend past I had a good game, before [the injury] I would go to the comments and be like they talking about me I’m trending,” he added.
“The next day I’m with the friends Ekasi [township] we are doing braai, I’m with people that I don’t even know, we’re happy ‘hey ntwana yami [my boy] you play for Pirates, hey you did well yesterday’.
“But that period that I went through, seeing all of that not being relevant, seeing everyone move away from me, the first thing I did after [the game against TS Galaxy] I went home.
“Well I went to see Linda [Mntambo], because I’m always with Linda, he is more like a big brother to me. I spoke to him because I knew how happy he was for me because I’m always working hard with him, I’m always talking to him when I’m feeling down.
“I went to him, I also saw his mother who is also like my mother and we shared that moment then I went home.
“And from that time the next day, I even forgot that I was playing the day before. That’s how everything has changed.”
