Cape Town - Ajax Cape Town have beefed up their defence with the signing of Roscoe Pietersen.
The 27-year-old Capetonian had been training with the Cape side for the last two weeks, with a view to impressing head coach Roger de Sa. Pietersen achieved his goal and has been added to the squad.
As a junior, Pietersen spent time at Hellenic, Battswood and Milano United before playing professionally for Chippa United and SuperSport United. He has also had loan spells at Vasco da Gama and AmaZulu.
Capable of playing in defence or as a holding midfielder, De Sa is hoping to tap into the player’s versatility.
“Roscoe was marked as one of the up-and-coming youngsters to come out of Cape Town a few years ago,” said De Sa. “I think he just never really found his footing up in Johannesburg. It’s nice to have him back in Cape Town, because he’s a fantastic footballer and a great kid overall. He’s got very good leadership qualities, he’s a great player on and off the field.
“He’s exactly what we need at this time. He’s an older, wiser head among the kids and he’s a Cape Town boy, so overall I’m very pleased with the acquisition. He’s really going to fill a few holes for us, and I think he’ll be here at Ajax Cape Town for many years to come.”
Pietersen is delighted to be back home.
“I’ve enjoyed my time at Ajax Cape Town so far,” he said. “I’m enjoying the set-up here as well as my teammates and the technical staff. It’s an honour and a privilege to play for Ajax Cape Town, because I am from Cape Town originally, so I know what a big club this is. It’s great to be home ... I know the culture of the club and the culture of Cape Town football, so I am positive that I can make the Ajax fans proud.”
Pietersen is the latest acquisition after Ajax brought in Zimbabwean defender Eric Chipeta, Portuguese striker Joachim Lupeta and midfielder Thabo Mosadi.
Players who have left the club include include Abbubaker Mobara, Riyaad Norodien, Anssi Jaakkola Franklin Cale, Asive Langwe, Ashley Hartog and Ruzaigh Gamildien, while youngsters Olwethu Nguye and Justin Jacobus have gone on loan to NFD neighbours, Cape Town All Stars.
Cape Argus