Football (or soccer) is certainly one of Mzansi's favourite sports, if not the absolute favourite. Year after year, we all converge to watch our favourite teams battle it out. The best part is that the local football industry is vibrant enough for all our attention to be on it, even while the rest of the world has its eyes on the English Premier League.
Here is a list of some of our favourite ZAlebs who are diehard football fans, along with the Premier Soccer League (PSL) team they support.
The Mkhize-Mpisane Family
We feel like this one should go without saying, which is why they had to come first on the list, as a family unit that supports the same team. And you know what they say, a family that supports the same team stays together (nobody actually says that, but we just made it a thing).
Dr Shauwn Mkhize owns the Royal AM Football Club, so naturally, she roots for the team to win. Her son and co-runner of the business empire, Andile Mpisane, plays for the same team. And now since he recently got married, his wife Tamia Mpisane has been recruited as both a new employee, and one of the team’s biggest cheerleaders.
TV personality Minnie Dlamini dated Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune for a while, which could be where her love for the sport began, although we don’t know that for sure. The relationship was so solid for a long time, and everybody, including Minnie herself, thought they would get married one day. But things don’t always work out the way we think they will, and they broke up, leaving Minnie heartbroken.
It was not all for nothing, though, as she has continued to support the team regardless. In fact, she has since built a career as a sports presenter, a field that is routinely male dominated. She even visited the KC Village, where they gave her a personalised KC jersey, though we wonder whether she still has it so many years down the line.
Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema, and one of our favourite surprise DJs, has to be one of the most vocal diehard football fans in Mzansi. He is not shy to admit that he supports the Orlando Pirates, and will remind anyone who bothers to ask, without needing much encouragement.
As every rational fan would do, Malema is not afraid to poke fun at his favourite team when they are underperforming. There is even a video of him laughing at the team after they suffered a 6 - 0 loss against Mamelodi Sundowns. He still supports the team with all his heart, though, and was even gifted a club jersey not too long ago.
Pearl Thusi is another outspoken football fan. She is very loyal to Kaizer Chiefs. In fact, she once almost got into a Twitter war with fellow actress Natasha Thahane over football, as the latter kept trolling the team online, in support of her own team, Orlando Pirates. She was feeling off after their losses, and she didn't feel good about it being rubbed in her face.
But she once ditched KC temporarily in support of Royal AM, when they faced each other. She said that her loyalty was to family first, referring to Shauwn Mkhize. KC was heartbroken, but she promised she wouldn't "Khanyi Mbau" them. As soon as the match was over, she went right back to her team, as promised.
What is it with our famous ladies and Kaizer Chiefs? Seriously, they all seem to be ready to ride or die for the team. Media personality Unathi Nkayi is another one who falls in this category.
She and her ex-husband Thomas "Bad Boy T" Msengana used to famously support the club, and it seems that her love for the team did not end with her marriage.
Bad Boy T was also pretty outspoken on his support for the team, and has even shared it on Kaya 959. Regardless of being warned that the team is the equivalent of a toxic boyfriend to its fans, he still stands by his decision, and we love to see it.
Taking a break from the Kaizer Chiefs babes, we have actress Natasha Thahane, who is a proper ride or die fan on the Orlando Pirates. Remember the fight she and Pearl almost had over their teams?
Well, as it turns out, KC got a chance to save face, beating Orlando Pirates 1-0. This came after Pirates and their fans, including Natasha, had celebrated their win prematurely. As you can imagine, Natasha was clowned rather mercilessly after the loss.
She was together with Orlando Pirates player, Thembinkosi Lorch, so her allegiance makes total sense. But she has taken her role very seriously, which is frankly what we would all want in a relationship: someone who supports our hustle unreservedly. We wonder whether she still rides for the team since their breakup.
Did the number of ladies on this list surprise you? Well, it seems that football is definitely one of Mzansi's favourite sports, and has pulled in audiences across the divide. And we love to see that they are all loyal to local clubs.
