It didn’t take long for Mabhuti Khenyeza to show why he owes his nickname to the king of the jungle - the lion. The new TS Galaxy coach roared loudly at the Panorama Sports Ground in his unveiling as the man in charge of the Rockets, taking over Dan Malesela who made history with the club last year when they became the first team from the first division to win the Nedbank Cup.
Khenyeza has a tough act to follow, even though the side sits in 12th place in the GladAfrica Championship, 17 points behind log-leaders Ajax Cape Town with nine matches to go. The former AmaZulu assistant coach has entered the lion’s den in his first job as a head coach at the age of 37. Luckily for Galaxy, Khenyeza is also a lion.
“At the end of the day I am here to win,” Khenyeza said. “Most of you know me, my character allows that. I just want to win. Nothing else. There’s no replacement for that. No excuse. I cry and I fight to win. When I shared these ideas with the chairman, I realised that we are on the same page. I didn’t take this job because I wanted to get paid at the end of the month.
"I took this job to come here and plant a seed to these players for them to be better. I took this job to help those who need to be helped. To leave a legacy. I am not working for money. I am working to leave a legacy, something you will never buy. I hope that’s clear I am fearless. I don’t fear anything. I am strong mentally and I don’t back off in anything I do because I want to succeed.”
Khenyeza’s winning mentality was there to see in a professional career that saw him join a small group of players who have scored 100 goals in the Premier Soccer League-era.
He was competitive even after hanging up his boots. He once told the Usuthu media officer that he doesn’t want to play against the media anymore because they were too weak for him in matches that were more for leisure than winning trophies. A lion never settles.
Despite his combustible nature, he names one of his biggest adversaries, Muhsin Ertugral, as one of the coaches who inspired him. The two had a falling out at Kaizer Chiefs, leading to Khenyeza saying that the two will never work together again.
He kept his promise when he left Ajax Cape Town shortly after Ertugral’s arrival, but before that the two worked together to rescue the club from a sticky situation.