TBT: Kelebogile Mabe
In this week’s instalment of Throwback Thursday, former Orlando Pirates right back Kelebogile Mabe recalls an incident that got him and Happy Jele in trouble with coach Bibey Mutombo.
Kelebogile Mabe during the PSL match between Orlando Pirates and Santos at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. Photo by Lefty Shivambu / Gallo Images
Mabe and Jele are graduates from Augusto Palacious’ Pirates development team.
“The first team coach was Bibey Mutombo and we were playing 11 versus 11 against the newly promoted players from development,” Mabe told Phakaaathi.
“Bibey and Palacious didn’t get along because Bibey didn’t really like the youngsters coming from the development. So during the game Happy and I were on the field and Bibey didn’t know who he wanted to take off because he pointed at Happy and said Lele come off and pointed at someone else and said Jele come off.
“Happy and I laughed because we had been working with him for three months and he still didn’t know our names. He then called us to the touch line and asked who Lele was and who Jele was. He told us to go home and come back when we know our names.
“He said we don’t know our names and we don’t know our identities, we laughed because we were surprised and he sent us home. The next day we had to go to Papi Khomane to try and speak to him so we could be allowed back into the team.”
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