Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro absolved himself of responsibility for Tshegofatso Mabasa’s previous loan spells away from the club. He explained that he never interacted with Mabasa, who seemed out of favor.

Loaned to Sekhukhune United last season, Mabasa struggled under Brandon Truter. The striker’s future remained uncertain during the offseason. Pirates, appear not counting on him, sent to the Bafana B squad for the COSAFA Cup during the off season, where he expressed his unclear future before a loan move to Moroka Swallows materialized.

Mabasa thrived with the “Dube Birds,” scoring six goals in 14 matches across all competitions in the first half of the season. Financial difficulties at Swallows led to his recall by Pirates in January. Since returning, he’s been on fire, scoring seven goals in seven matches, including a hat-trick against Golden Arrows.

“Honestly, when I arrived at Pirates, Tshego wasn’t there,” admitted Riveiro. “This is my first time working with him. We had eight strikers when I joined, and Tshego wasn’t one of them.”

Riveiro couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason for Mabasa’s exclusion, speculating it could be performance-related or due to other players performing better at that time. He emphasized not having prior discussions with Mabasa about the loan decisions.

“I can only speculate,” Riveiro continued. “Perhaps he was seeking a loan to play regularly, or maybe things were difficult for him at Pirates then. Regardless, he’s back and performing very well.”

Riveiro highlighted Mabasa’s overall contribution beyond goalscoring. He praised the striker’s impact on the team’s play and expressed hope that Mabasa continues his impressive form.

Interestingly, two of Mabasa’s six goals for Swallows came against AmaZulu in September, their upcoming opponent in the Nedbank Cup quarter-final on Saturday night.