Smiso Msomi
The lead-up to a new season has always provided drama and shocks in the DStv Premiership and it has been no different this time around.
Steve Komphela has found himself at the centre of attention after his surprise return to champions Mamelodi Sundowns as a senior coach. This comes after Rulani Mokwena was let go by the Pretoria giants leaving Manqoba Mnqgithi and Komphela to lead the technical team.
Komphela departed Arrows after initially starting pre-season preparations as the club’s head coach. The 57-year-old is said to have not even had an opportunity to bid farewell to Abafana Besthende, as he jumped at the call of the Brazilians.
One of his technical team members at Arrows, Mabhuti Khenyeza, who is said to be leading operations at the club, once again expressed that Komphela’s exit has not left them with a bigger taste in their mouths.
The 42-year-old mentor said he and his players would rather acknowledge the positive impact Komphela made at the club and would use his lessons as influences in their careers.
“We need to thank the club for bringing in someone like Steve Komphela with lots of experience,” he said.
“Besides his name and reputation, there’s a lot of things that we as the technical team benefited from him and the same goes for the players in everything that we do. It’s very important that I say that the players took it in a positive way and now it’s just up to us and the players to take that and move on.”
Khenyeza has been a part of a whirlwind past 12 months at Arrows. After originally starting the season as a co-coach (alongside Vusumuzi Vikazi), he then led the club on his own before a bizarre dip in form.
This led to the club appointing Komphela in the latter stages of last season while Khenyeza served as an assistant. He was quizzed about the tough period in charge as he assumes that role again.
“I don’t think we’ll experience the same situation again because that’s a lesson we need to learn,” he replied.
“From the management, the technical team and the players, we learnt a lot from that period of 10 or 11 games without winning a game.
“We should be able to take the positives from that situation and use it because those things don’t happen and you don’t just move past it without learning.”
Abafana Besthende will return to public screens on July 27 when they participate in the KZN Premier’s Cup.
The pre-season tournament is set to be hosted at the Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Stadium in Ulundi. Arrows will play AmaZulu in the first quarter-final while Richards Bay, Milford, Maritzburg United and Royal AM make up the rest of the teams.