A full circle derby moment as Mayo follows in his father’s footsteps
27th February 2026
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Kaizer Chiefs attacker Khanyisa Mayo was only six years old when he experienced his first Soweto Derby; his father, Patrick, had just moved from SuperSport United to Amakhosi at the time.
Tomorrow, he gets an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of his father and get a taste of this premium South African football fixture.
Mayo, who is on loan at Chiefs from Algerian Ligue 1 side CR Belouizdad, talks about the atmosphere of the fans in this derby, something he’s going to experience for the first time at FNB Stadium tomorrow...
"My first derby was in 2003, and I can just remember the atmosphere and all the fans coming together to witness a great Soweto Derby that day. It has been a historic fixture and one of the best in African football."
Mayo has scored only one goal in 12 matches across all competitions since returning to the country, and that was in his first game against Marumo Gallants in September last year.
The 27-year-old says scoring in the derby against Orlando Pirates would boost his confidence.
"People have been saying I'm off form because I haven't been scoring, but the main thing is if I get the chance to put the ball into the back of the net on the day, then that's what I'm going to do.
Mayo, a former Cape Town City player and product of the SuperSport United academy, is one of six strikers in Chiefs’ large squad.
He hasn’t been starting a lot of games for the club, with the coaching duo of Khail Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze preferring to go with one forward in their system.
Strikers also require good service for them to be able to score, and they rely on the midfielders to supply that.
In the midweek loss to Stellenbosch FC, one of the shining lights was debutant Ethan Chislett, and Mayo says the Durbanite, who comes from England, brings something different offensively to the team...
"You can see by his touches and his movements that he is an intelligent player. He creates space for himself and for his teammates, and you can tell that he played in Europe.
"He has that European football mentality that some of the South African players lack, and he has definitely brought a different dynamic to our attack."
