WATCH | Mkhanyiseli Siwahla on the demise of Ajax Cape Town

Mahlatse Mphahlele Sports reporter
Former Ajax Cape Town midfielder Mkhanyiseli Siwahla looks back at his eventful career.
Former Ajax Cape Town midfielder Mkhanyiseli Siwahla looks back at his eventful career.
Image: Lefty Shivambu

Former mercurial Ajax Cape Town midfielder Mkhanyiseli Siwahla says he was left deeply saddened by news that the Urban Warriors ceased to exist over a year ago.

The club was renamed Cape Town Spurs towards the end of 2020 after Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam sold their 51% share of Ajax CT bringing to an end a 21-year joint ownership.

Siwahla, who remains the youngest player to play and score in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) at the age of 15 years, five months and 22 days, is one of the players to have come through the youth structures at Ikamva.

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Some of the notable players who came through the famed Ajax CT Academy include Steven Pienaar, Eyong Enoh, Thulani Serero and Dylan Claasen and Bryce Moon.

“For me it was sad but at the same time I was saying there are other people who can also make mistakes in life,” he said.

“I made mistakes in my life and they (Ajax management) have also made their mistakes because the team is no longer there. When a team like Ajax gets finishes just like, it shows that they are also human beings and make mistakes as well.

“If they can destroy something like that, it shows that there is no one who is perfect in this life. You don’t destroy a project like that, you keep it but we don’t know what happened behind the scenes that led to that decision.

“We just heard that Ajax is no longer there and that killed a lot of people inside. I am talking about many people who were there and had the club close to their hearts.”

During his eventful 17-year career, Siwahla played for Ajax CT, Bloemfontein Celtic, Mpumalanga Black Aces, Chippa United, FC Cape Town, Centre Chiefs in Botswana, KS Proch Pionki in Poland and Bardejov in Slovakia.

“I enjoyed my best football at Ajax Cape Town and when I left there I knew that my career will not function. After leaving Ajax, I was just working and the passion was no longer there.

“I was doing it just to get paid a salary so that I can pay my bills at the end of the month, but to be honest the passion was no longer there in me and it was not to achieve anything.”


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