Magesi Football Club chief executive Mr. John Mathibe has reflected on our first season in the South African top-flight and has warned that Dikwena Tša Meetse would raise the bar next season.
All eyes were on Magesi FC when the 2024/25 campaign got underway, after winning automatic promotion from the Motsepe Foundation Championship to the Betway Premiership.
Magesi FC went on to make history by winning the Carling Knockout, beating Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1 in Bloemfontein, Free State, to become the first-ever newly promoted team to win the League Cup. In the Betway Premiership, Magesi FC came close to a top eight finish but in the end settled for 13th spot.
Recently, Mr. Mathibe honoured an interview from local broadcaster SuperSport TV for a wide-ranging interview that focused on the team’s first season.
MR. MATHIBE ON OUR FIRST SEASON IN THE TOP FLIGHT
It was a great year for us, and like I always say, it was not easy. For us, we started under pressure. Remember, last season we were promoted with a few games in hand, and what happened was, when we got to the Premier League, it was already a challenge because usually it’s known that teams that are coming up are the first to go out [relegated]. So already the pressure mounted, and we know, in the past, other teams have played 16 games without a win, so when we went there, we did so with the intention to change the narrative that this is not going to happen to us. Professionalism and teamwork worked for us.
WINNING THE CARLING KNOCKOUT
I think we played with no-name players. They didn’t have big names, and we gave them the platform to say it comes once, and ‘this is the time to market yourself. Nobody knows about you’. That was our message to the players, and they had to give it their all. The boys went there and fought. It was not an easy achievement for us, but we managed to pull through from game to game.
OWEN DA GAMA COMING ON BOARD TO STABILIZE OUR LEAGUE RUN
When the coach came on board, we knew definitely that he’s a person with experience. I, personally, have followed him. I know his history, and as management and the chairman, we got behind every player and technical staff member for them to do their best in their field of work. With Coach Owen, we are giving him everything that he wants and creating an environment that is conducive for him to give us his best. That’s exactly what he did. We had faith in him. By the time he came, we were sitting in a very awkward position [on the log], in the relegation zone. Today, we are excited that we managed to retain the status.
TURNING SESHEGO INTO A SLAUGHTERHOUSE
Seshego has always been in our plans, and it took too long to actually get renovated. But, from the beginning, when we were still in the NFD [National First Division], our intention was to use our own stadium because Sekhukhune United is using the New Peter Mokaba Stadium and Polokwane City is using the other one [the old Peter Mokaba Stadium]. So, three big teams, and all these teams are in the Premier League. We needed to own one, and people from our homeland, Moletjie and other areas, can find it easy to come to the stadium. For some, it’s a walking distance to the stadium, which is great, and the support there has always been great. We are enjoying our football there, and it’s our slaughterhouse. No team comes out of there with any points.
HONOURING KGOSHI KGABO MOLOTO III
Remember, we come from Moletjie [in the Sekhukhune district], where the chief is our number one supporter. He has always been with us from the first game and the first league. We’ve played in every league here in South Africa. We are one of very few teams to have done that because we didn’t buy a status. We moved from league to league until we got to the top.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN
With the chairman [Mr. Solly Makhubela], the support was great. The chairman has done great things for this club. The support that he gives every member of the team is out of this world.
CEO’S MESSAGE TO THE BLUE NATION
Our supporters have always been behind us. We’ve been in the [ABC Motsepe League] playoffs, and when we travelled, we would have five/six buses. Our supporters were always there and wanted to see this dream come true. They’ve never stopped [supporting us], and in fact, they are getting more. People of Limpopo must have something that they own and cherish.
THE CEO ON CONTINUITY
Most of the guys at the club have been with Magesi FC from the beginning. What we then did was, season to season, every situation we came across, we never treated it as a problem but rather as a lesson. That’s why we became better and better until today. I must take this opportunity to thank our management, technical team, the security department, the drivers, and everyone. They’ve been great to the team, and the stronger we are, the better for Magesi FC.
MAGESI FC’S PLANS FOR THE 2025/26 SEASON
Our mandate was simple in the first season, and that was to retain our status. We’ve learned from every situation that we came across. Obviously, our recruitment plan is going to change. It’s going to be better, and the quality of players will be better. We will also have a few players coming from our DDC [DStv Diski Challenge] structure to the senior team. So, it’s all about improvement, and our next mandate will be a top eight finish. I’m not scared to say it… anything is possible. We will definitely be there.
