Mbekezeli Mbokazi academy coach Wonder Mnguni has poured cold water on allegations that the Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana centre-back is older than he actually he is.
Mbokazi, who turned 20 in September, has been a revelation since being promoted from the Pirates development ranks in the second half of the last season, helping the club to reach the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League, finishing second in the Betway Premiership and winning the MTN8 this term.
His meteoric continued this term after he broke into the senior national team has been named as one of the co-captains of Pirates. This past weekend he scored a beauty of a goal to help the Buccaneers progress to the quarter-finals of the Carling Knockout Cup.
However, due to his physical strength and aggressive play, which earned him the nickname TLB, some people have alleged that he is older than 20 but Mnguni told iDiski Times journalist Sinethemba Sithole in edition 225 of the newspaper that he is certain Mbokazi is 20 years old.
“I can attest, I saw the birth certificate of Mbekezeli and I saw his ID when he came to us,” Mnguni told iDiski Times.
“He was doing Grade 10 that was in 2023. He was a bit late in school when you look at his age. And the other thing people must know, when you watch him on TV, he looks a bit older, but when you see him live, you can see he’s a young boy.
“That’s one thing that confuses people, and also the way he’s built and how he fights on the field, they then think he’s old, but in reality, the boy is very young.”
You can read Mngini’s full comments in Sithole’s feature on Mbokazi’s rise in edition 225 when you subscribe to iDiski Times WhatsApp media number for FREE.