I like testing myself

Sometimes, in life, you have to take a leap of faith. You take a risk and hope that it works out for the better. Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Reneilwe Letsholonyane has taken that leap of faith. Having tried unsuccessfully to get himself a coaching gig in either the Betway Premiership or the Motsepe Foundation Championship, the man popularly known as “Yeye” has joined Botswana Premier League outfit Matebele FC on a two-year contract. With this step, Letsholonyane is hoping to showcase what he can do as a coach. Not long after being unveiled as a new coach at Matebele, Soccer Laduma’s Tshepang Mailwane got hold of the former Bafana Bafana midfielder to talk about his move and the plans he has.

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Tshepang Mailwane: “Yeye”, congratulations on becoming the new coach of Matebele FC in the Botswana Premier League. How did this move happen?

Reneilwe Letsholonyane: Thank you, my brother. We had the clash of legends game, between the legends of South Africa and the legends of Botswana. This year was our second or third year playing. One of the organisers of the clash of legends is a close friend of mine, so after the games this year, we had a conversation about the possibility of coaching in Botswana. This is a conversation we started having last year, but it did not happen last year. We revived the conversation again this year and then we had a chat about the possibilities. From then on, I asked Shabba (Siphiwe Tshabalala) to liaise with the people going forward. Fast forward, the move happened.

TM: Why did you ask Shabba to liaise for you?

RL: Because of the relationship he and I have. And with him doing the FIFA program, he wants to be more involved in football, but more on the management side.

TM: Like player and coach management?

RL: No, not player management. Just on the management side of football. Not specifically to be a player manager. We felt that besides trusting him, it would give him that experience and position him within football. When he is done with the FIFA program and he decides what he wants to do, at least he has that information and a bit of experience. He is not an agent.

TM: Looking at how things went in terms of you joining the club, did Shabba do a good job?