Mohau Nkota: From bicycle injury to Bafana Bafana star

Mohau Nkota survived a trauma that could have stopped him from living his dream — which is why he remains mindful of everything that has happened in the past few months.

Nkota has been the talk of the town recently, after making his full-season debut for Orlando Pirates, where he starred on the flank, running tirelessly like a man possessed.

He further hogged the headlines when he moved to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ettifaq during pre-season, while continuing to feature regularly for Bafana Bafana, who are on the cusp of qualifying for the 2026 Fifa World Cup after beating Lesotho 3-0 on Friday night in Bloemfontein — a match in which he opened the scoring.

But all of that nearly never happened. Back in his junior days, Nkota injured his hand while on a joyride, and his mother decided that was the end of his football career — instructing him to quit the sport altogether.

“There was a time when I was in Grade 7. I fell from a bicycle and almost broke my hand. You can still see how it looks now,” Nkota revealed, in the lobby of the Southern Sun International Hotel in Bloemfontein.

“I went to the hospital, and my mum got me an ice cream, and then from there, she told me to leave football. So, I stopped football for six months. She told me to quit because she thought I got hurt while playing. When I tried to explain what happened, she didn’t want to hear it.

“I started playing football without her knowledge. There was even a time I had to ask my coach to speak to her. Before I went to Saudi Arabia, I reminded her about it and she laughed at me.”

Nkota’s choice to play in the Saudi Pro League — where five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo plies his trade — raised eyebrows. Many regard the league as a “retirement village,” a place where players go to collect their final paycheques. But Nkota disagrees. For him, this is the fulfilment of a dream he once shared only with God — and he is still soaking it all in.

“No one knew things would happen so quickly, but I wanted this and prayed for it,” Nkota recalled. “It’s what I have been waiting for. I just didn’t know it would come so soon.

“Sometimes, it does get scary. And when it does, that frightens you in a good way — it keeps you awake.”

While Nkota still pinches himself when reflecting on how drastically his life has changed, he is quick to thank the people who helped him get there — especially those who brought him to Pirates.

A few years ago, Nkota left the dusty streets of Kimberley in search of greener pastures, knowing failure was not an option. He made his breakthrough with the Sea Robbers’ junior teams after being added to the structure by then-reserve team coach Mandla Qhogi.

But it was last season that his star shone brightest under club legend Joseph Makhanya, before catching the eye of senior team coach Jose Riveiro. He remains grateful to his mother and sister, who have been by his side from the start — even after that bicycle incident.

“I came to Pirates when I was in Grade 10, so the taxi fare was a bit of a problem for me,” Nkota recalled. “But I didn’t think about that. I just had to remember where I came from. I won’t say we were poor, but everyone was trying — especially my mother and sister.

“So I stayed at boarding school, and everything was about school. I had a friend who helped me a lot during that time.”

Nkota has endured tough times. So when the opportunity to move to the Middle East came, it was the breakthrough he needed. Hence, it was an emotional moment.

“Eish, everything happened so quickly during pre-season. No one knew I was going until Pirates announced I was leaving,” Nkota revealed.

“They did a lot for me. I grew up from the U19s, so they shaped me into the person I am today. When I went to Spain, I knew I was leaving — but I didn’t expect it to be during pre-season.”

While everything seems to be happening at once for Nkota, he knows the importance of remaining humble. Not only does Al-Ettifaq depend on him, but the national team does as well.

Bafana are on the brink of qualifying for the World Cup. They need just three wins in their remaining qualifiers to seal their ticket. They’ll face arch-rivals Nigeria on Tuesday night at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein, before squaring off with neighbours Zimbabwe and Rwanda next month.

The clash against Nigeria will require Bafana to be at their very best, as the Super Eagles have also been contesting matters off the pitch. Nigeria have been leading protests for Bafana to be docked three points — and handed a 3-0 loss — after fielding ineligible player Teboho Mokoena in their 2-0 win over Lesotho, a result that boosted South Africa’s 16-point tally at the top of Group C.

Nkota, however, is unfazed by the threat Nigeria pose, despite their recent 1-0 win at home. He believes that as long as Bafana stick together, they will weather any storm.

“As a team, we just need to continue where we left off, and win the game. A draw or win might come, but we need to aim for three points,” Nkota said. “We need to widen the gap.

“When the coach (Hugo Broos) called, he told me to just do my job and continue with the work I’ve been doing. That’s all I can do — deliver, alongside my teammates.”