Makateng speaks on life in South Africa

MASERU – Likuena striker Katleho Makateng has broken his silence about life in South Africa, where he has been playing for DSTV Premiership new boys Richards Bay.

The 24-year-old made the move to the DSTV Premiership in July following an explosive 2020/2021 season in the Vodacom Premier League and for the national team.

He bagged 20 goals for LDF in his maiden season of topflight football in Lesotho, which saw him have a clean sweep at the end of the season awards.

The Pitseng-born striker bagged the Player of the Season, Players’ Player of the Season, Top Goal Scorer as well as the Young Player of the Season accolades.

Former club LDF had reported that South African giants Kaizer Chiefs were among clubs that enquired about the striker before Richards Bay won the race for his signature.

Makateng was thrown into the deep end at his new club immediately after his paperwork was completed and started four back-to-back matches.

He has since been relegated to the bench making cameo appearances as a substitute having failed to hit the standards that made him the hottest property in Lesotho in the previous season.

“To be honest, I feel very blessed and lucky to have had this opportunity so early in my career. I’m settling down well at Richards Bay FC and I’m loving the new challenge,” the forward said.

“I have signed a two-year contract with an option to extend with another two years.

“I’m looking forward to a successful time with the club because they have been very good to me from day one.”

The former LDF hitman, who scored a brace in his debut for the national team, admitted that he is hopeful of ending his goal-scoring drought when the South African Premiership resumes after the 2022 World Cup, which gets underway in Qatar later this month.

“It’s a new league and a new environment altogether and I knew that it was not going to be easy in my first season because the team plays a different system to what I was used to at LDF,” Makateng stated.

“At LDF, we played with two strikers but it’s different with Richards Bay because I was played as a lone striker after arriving, which of course was a bit of a challenge for me.

“The coaches have been very supportive and I’m confident that I will recover my goal scoring form very soon. I need to score just one goal for the floodgates to open,” he said.

Makateng admitted that through a career in football, he has also been able to provide for his family.

“Yes, I can say that I can now achieve all those things I couldn’t before. I think staying grounded has always been very key for me as a footballer,” Makateng said.

“I know there are a lot of kids looking up to me and I have to maintain those standards.

“There is still a long way to go for me, but my target when I joined the club was to score at least ten goals in my first season,” he said.

Makateng is back in Lesotho and training with the national team to keep fit as the DSTV Premiership is on a break until after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

He has featured in seven of the 13 matches played so far by the KwaZulu-Natal Boys, who are second in the DSTV Premiership.

He missed some of the opening games while waiting for his work permit after signing with the club.

Mikia Kalati