Orlando Pirates captain Nkosinathi Sibisi says he has learned to live with criticism from supporters after leading the club to a treble and their first league title in 14 years.
The Bafana Bafana centre-back has sometimes been singled out by Pirates fans as the weak link in the defence. Although he has made mistakes and endured inconsistent periods, Sibisi believes his overall performances show he deserves his place at the club.
“I have grown used to the taking criticism,” he said ahead of Pirates’ MTN8 quarterfinal against Durban City at Orlando Stadium on Saturday (15:00). “Sometimes it is fair, and in that case I take it as best as possible and try to be better. But sometimes it is not fair, and unfortunately there is nothing you can do about it.”
Sibisi, who is 30, joined Pirates from Lamontville Golden Arrows four years ago. He found regular first-team opportunities difficult to secure under former coach Jose Riveiro, but received an extended run under Abdeslam Ouaddou.
That opportunity became particularly important after Mbekezeli Mbokazi left for the United States. Sibisi formed part of a defensive unit that helped Pirates dethrone eight-time successive champions Mamelodi Sundowns and win the Betway Premiership in the 2025-26 season.
Their league triumph was part of a remarkable treble, with Pirates also lifting the MTN8 and Carling Knockout trophies in Ouaddou’s first campaign.
The criticism has not been limited to club football. Sibisi has also faced scrutiny while playing for Bafana, although former coach Hugo Broos continued to select him and included him in squads for the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast in 2024 and Morocco in December and January, as well as the Fifa World Cup in North America this year.
Sibisi started Bafana’s 2-0 opening defeat by Mexico at Estadio Azteca at the recent 2026 Fifa World Cup. After the team came under intense pressure in that match, he provided back-up to younger first-choice defenders Mbokazi and Ime Okon for the remainder of the tournament.
Since Mbokazi’s move to Chicago Fire, Sibisi has established a reliable central defensive partnership with Lebone Seema in front of goalkeeper Sipho Chaine. That combination played a significant role in Pirates’ highly successful domestic campaign.
“It is just to keep on trusting and doing what I have been doing because I don’t think it is by chance that I am here. I have been working hard and I have won titles with the club,” said Sibisi, who grew up in Mpophomeni in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal.
“It has been a great four years for me. I am into my fifth season now and I have grown a thick skin. As long as it doesn’t affect my family, I will deal with it as best as possible.”
Pirates’ recent success has been built around experienced players such as Sibisi, alongside a promising group developed through the club’s academy and recruited from elsewhere.
As one of the senior members of the squad, Sibisi is embracing the responsibility of helping younger players follow the path taken by Relebohile Mofokeng, Mbokazi and Mohau Nkota. Mofokeng has joined Royale Union St-Gilloise in Belgium after impressing for Bafana at the World Cup, while Nkota is now based in Saudi Arabia.
“We have a couple of young players Cemran Dansin is one of them. There are a few of them who will be a revelation this season. There is so much potential with the young group.”
Siyabonga Dladla, Kabelo Kgositsile, Simphiwe Masilela, Sbangani Zulu and Neo Rapoo are among the inexperienced players being introduced this season. Sibisi has asked supporters to give them time, warning that not every prospect will make an immediate impact like Mofokeng, Mbokazi or Nkota.
“We must be patient with them because not everyone is going to be a Relebohile Mofokeng, Mbekezeli Mbokazi or Mohau Nkota. They need time and I am pleading with our supporters to have the patience.
“As a group, whenever things are not going well, we have to stick together, and even with the young players we need to be patient because you can remember Tshepang Moremi suffered when he came to the team.
“We took a stand to say we can’t treat each other like that because as a family there will be problems and when there are problems we shouldn’t put them in public.”
Pirates face a demanding season across five competitions, but their squad depth was underlined by the absence of Mpho Chabatsane, Nkosikhona Ndaba, Deano van Rooyen, Makhehlene Makhaula, Masindi Nemtajela, Andre de Jong, Kabelo Dlamini, Daniel Msendami and Evidence Makgopa from the match-day squad for Saturday’s 2-0 league victory over Milford FC.
“We have many tournaments this season and we are going to need everyone. Sometimes the guys who start the season are not the ones who are going to finish it.
“We know the qualities of the guys we have and it is for us to keep on pushing. We are going to need everyone throughout the season the depth is there and there is a lot of energy from young players.”
Story audio is generated using AI.
