Motale remembers Orlando Pirates super-fan Mgijimi
The Orlando Pirates legend remembers a friendly and humble man, who will be laid to rest on Sunday.
Orlando Pirates fan Mgijimi at the game between Stellenbosch and Pirates FC in October. Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
“Whenever I would see him on TV, I would ask myself, isn’t this guy worried about his health? Because I remember some Orlando Pirates fans from KwaZulu-Natal were using white paint on their faces and they suddenly stopped after a doctor revealed that it would damage their skin,” says Bucs legend Edward Motale about the late Bucs superfan Mandla “Mgijimi” Sindane, who passed away this week.
Mgijimi was famous for white overall with his face covered in white powder during the Soweto club’s games.
But unbeknownst to Motale, Mgijimi was just using baby powder to make his face white.
“After a long time, I finally got to meet the guy during the Pirates Jersey launch,” Motale reveals.
“Funny enough, on that day he wasn’t in his white overalls and his face was not white. It was until he started to introduce himself that I finally got an idea who he was and my day to ask him the question about the white thing on his face came.”
“I was worried about his health, but he just told me that he is using baby powder. I was relieved.”
Mgijimi was well known in the football fraternity as one of the most famous Bucs fans.
His passing touched a lot of people including Motale, who adds that from the first time he met him he saw the genuine love Mgijimi had for Pirates and that he was friendly and humble, words that have been used a lot by those who knew him.
“It’s a great loss for the team, he loved Pirates so much. You can never miss him during the Pirates games. I’m just glad that I was able to meet him that day. He was a really good guy and very humble.”
The Bucs superfan will be buried at his home in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga on Sunday.
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