Cape Town City saved the best for last
Cape Town City demonstrated that it means business by pulling off a major coup with the capture of top striker Lehlohonolo Majoro.
|||Cape Town - Cape Town City have made no secret of the fact that they want to take the PSL by storm this season. On Tuesday, the new Mother City top-flight club demonstrated, in no uncertain terms, that it means business by pulling off a major coup with the capture of top striker Lehlohonolo Majoro from Orlando Pirates.
Majoro is one of the country’s top forwards. Having played for both Soweto glamour clubs - Kaizer Chiefs and Pirates - the experienced 29-year-old is nationally recognised as a big-name player. To put it in PSL parlance, Majoro is City’s “Hollywood signing”.
“I think we’ve saved the best for last,” said City owner John Comitis. “We are so excited, the squad and the technical team are equally excited as well, and we now hope that the Cape Town fraternity will share in our excitement too.
“We hope Capetonians will see that we are trying to include everyone, and have some more reasons to bring even the Pirates and Chiefs supporters to our home games to see their favourite players now representing City.
“We seriously want to be contenders. A team needs to score goals, to win games and this signing is a clear indication of what we are about.”
Comitis recently bought the PSL franschise of Mpumalanga Black Aces and relocated the team to the Mother City. The name was changed to Cape Town City - and, in an effort to beef up the squad for their debut season, Comitis has brought in a host of new signings, including Austrian Roland Putsche, Australians Matt Sim and James Brown, Latvian Renars Rode, Ebrahim Seedat, Robyn Johannes, Tshepo Gumede, Shaquille Abrahams, Samora Motloung, Duncan Adonis and Never Ngcuka.
But the addition yesterday of Majoro clearly has City thrilled and animated. After making his name as a striker to watch at AmaZulu in 2010, it was Chiefs who put the striker on the path to local stardom when the popular Soweto team signed the player the following year. That same season, Majoro would finish the campaign as Amakhosi’s top scorer. Two years later, he left to join the other half of Soweto - Pirates - where he, initially, continued his impressive scoring exploits. He’s also had time in the Bafana Bafana squad, which includes 10 appearances and two goals at senior national level.
But football is never just a straight line and things went a bit sour for Majoro last season.
He never saw much game time at Pirates, where, ironically, current City coach Eric Tinkler was in charge at the time.
The striker got frustrated at his lack of game-time and even took to social media to voice his disappointment.
His public display, however, hardly endeared him to his employers at Pirates - and it was no surprise when he was transfer-listed last month.
But, with Majoro’s prowess in front of goal, there certainly hasn’t been a shortage of suitors for his services.
City boss John Comitis, however, has been able to persuade Majoro to make the move to the Cape and throw in his lot with the new PSL club.
The striker, originally from Ladybrand in the Free State, had a light training session with his new teammates in Green Point yesterday morning, and then, late afternoon, took his place in the team’s attack for a friendly against NFD side Milano United.
Majoro and Tinkler would appear to have patched up whatever unhappiness there was at Pirates last season - and the forward is now keen and motivated to regain his goal-scoring form, and resurrecting his career, in the Cape.
Cape Argus