Sangweni offers brotherly advice

This is the view of ex-Orlando Pirates defender Siyabonga Sangweni on his younger brother Thamsanqa's move to the Soweto giants.

Thamsanqa penned a three-year deal with the club recently following in the footsteps of his big brother, who played for Bucs between 2011 and last year, when he was forced to retire due to injuries.

"It will not be easy for him, but I have faith in him," Siyabonga said yesterday at the MTN8 launch in Johannesburg.

"After the Pirates move, we had a long conversation. I told him to focus on his football."

Siyabonga was there as one of the ambassadors of the competition.

"If he is here in Johannesburg for ubumnandi (nice life) he will not survive.

"He must forget about friends and work hard."

Siyabonga believes Thamsanqa, 25, will be able to focus on the job at Pirates and deliver as expected.

"I cannot talk on his behalf that much, but from what I've seen when we are together at home, he is a disciplined boy," he said.

In a Pirates team desperate for leaders, Siyabonga has backed Thamsanqa to lead by example in the middle of the park.

"When you play the position he plays, you must always be a leader.

"He must always communicate with his teammates because he plays an important position on the field," Siyabonga continued.