Ox Mthethwa: From a textile worker to Kaizer Chiefs and international star

Mthethwa joined Chiefs just a day before the transfer window deadline last month from Stellenbosch FC. He told SABC Sport he juggled working in a textile factory and playing in the Motsepe Foundation Championship with Royal Eagles during the Covid-19 enforced bio-bubble in 2020.

"I started playing in 2020, where we finished games during the bubble. I ended up playing six games there, and then I went for trials with Black Leopards [also in the lower division], he said during the recent trip with Bafana Bafana in Ivory Coast.

“I would train early in the morning before clocking at the textile factory. I'd either run a 5km, on my way to work and shower there before I start working. Then after work, I'd be back [to jogging] on my way home. If it's a night shift, I'd do some form of training before going home”, he continued. 

His transfer to Chiefs came after a strong two-year run with Stellies, with a total of 58 appearances. Despite the media hype around his move from the Western Cape to Gauteng, Mthethwa insists he was not expecting it.

"So, I didn't expect that one, which is why it wasn't easy for me to relocate from Stellenbosch to Naturena. Even though I'm always pushing, I still wasn't expecting it.  [In highsight] I should've expected it because of the way I was playing and conducting myself on the field. I really was not aware it could happen that soon."

"Ox" says it’s an honour to join the club of his dreams in such a short period of time after growing up as a Chiefs supporter in uMtshezi, KwaZulu-Natal. The 29-year-old sees this as an encouragement for youngsters and players from rural areas like his own. 

As the Stellies-Chiefs deal was nearing completion, it was revealed that Mthethwa was being pursued not just by Amakhosi, but also by other major Gauteng clubs, notably Orlando Pirates. But he maintains he had his heart set on joining Chiefs and that Stellies were always going to listen to him. 

"I can't say it was Chiefs only [trying to sign] against other clubs. But, I know it wasn't Chiefs only.

"At the end of the day, I had to make a decision for myself because it's my life. No matter how things turn out, I have to plan my decisions. But, yes it's possible that if I was playing for another club, I could've been transferred elsewhere, while I wanted to go another direction." 

Mthethwa, who is now considered one of the PSL's successful late bloomers, has also set his sights on a move abroad. He believes representing Bafana Bafana and assisting Chiefs in CAF inter-club tournaments will help him accomplish this dream.