Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Mpho Makola has revealed that the late Stanley “Screamer” Tshabalala played a defining role in shaping his ambitions beyond the pitch, steering him toward a front-office career rather than a traditional coaching path. Now involved with ABC Motsepe League side Via Sport, where he serves as co-owner, shareholder, and head coach, Makola admitted that watching Tshabalala work behind the scenes at the Sea Robbers opened his eyes to a different side of football. Instead of focusing solely on coaching after retirement, Makola became fascinated by recruitment and squad building, envisioning himself as a technical director.
Speaking on the NXL360 YouTube Channel, Makola explained how Tshabalala’s role at Pirates inspired him. “I’ve always had this vision of being a Technical Director, you know how much I loved Bra Stan’s job,” he said. “Bra Stan would just sit there, find good players and bring them at Pirates and those players would make magic.” Makola is currently balancing his on-field duties with long-term planning. “I’m coaching now and the team is doing very well, I’m loving the journey, even though it’s very hard and tricky,” he added, while noting his ultimate goal is to step off the touchline once Via Sport reaches the Betway Premiership.
Makola also addressed long-standing rumours about Tshabalala’s influence on team selections at Orlando Pirates, clarifying the late administrator did not interfere with line-ups. “He would come to training, people don’t understand that Bra Stan would actually sit in the stands,” Makola explained. Tshabalala watched every session, meaning he could question decisions if a player who trained poorly still made the squad. “Maybe that but otherwise he was not choosing the line-up,” Makola said, debunking the myth. With Via Sport competing in both the SAB League and ABC Motsepe League, Mak