Pirates parade trophy

The mayoral parlour turned black and white to welcome the reigning champions. After meeting the mayor, the Bucs toured through the city.
ORLANDO Pirates, the reigning Absa Premiership champions – where they’ve been for two consecutive seasons – paraded their trophies at the Joburg mayoral parlour and across the city yesterday.

Executive mayor Parks Tau gets signed Pirates jersey (Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)Executive mayor Parks Tau gets a signed Pirates jersey (Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)The team affirmed their position as true champions after fighting hard throughout the season to win another treble. They won their first treble in the 2010/11 season and did it again in the 2011/12 season – writing their name in the soccer history books.

Following tradition, the team, led by the caretaker coach, Augusto Palacios, assistant coach Tebogo Moloi and the captain, Lucky Lekgwathi, presented their trophies to Executive Mayor Parks Tau. They also handed over a new red Pirates jersey signed by the players.

Tau is a self-confessed Buccaneer and he wore a black and white Pirates jacket. He hailed the squad for showing the character of champions even when the going was tough. “It is an honour to welcome you as double treble champions.”

The City was extremely proud of what Pirates, the team with their roots in Soweto, had accomplished during the season. They made history by being the first team to win a treble in one season, and then doing it consecutively. He praised Palacios, who only came in as caretaker coach mid-season, after the club parted ways with their former head coach. But he had done exceptionally well in stabilising the team.

Not to be left out of this historic moment, members of the mayoral committee were also present – Chris Vondo for community development, Sello Lemao for economic development, Roslynn Greeff for infrastructure and infrastructure services, Matshidiso Mfikoe for public safety, and Mally Mokoena for corporate and shared services.

Phindamzala
Lekgwathi, also known as “Phindamzala” and the longest serving player at Pirates, introduced the players to the mayor one by one.

City of Champions: Executive mayor Parks Tau shows off the PSL TrophyCity of Champions: Executive mayor Parks Tau shows off the PSL TrophyWhen Benni McCarthy was introduce the house cheered. McCarthy is one of the most decorated players in the country and has had a successful career abroad. He played a crucial role in the club’s league campaign, and stepped up to the plate to score vital goals when it mattered the most.

The team won the Telkom Knockout Cup, MTN 8 and the main one, the Absa Premiership. They also won the inaugural Black Label Cup.

The team continued their parade in an open-top bus, branded with the team’s colours, to the head office of the department of sports, arts, culture and recreation. Here they met with the MEC of the department, Lebogang Maile, and a group of supporters chanting songs praising their team.

The squad then took the parade to their home turf at Orlando in Soweto, driving through the streets to meet and greet their fans. They stopped at Bara Taxi Rank, Jabulani Mall and Maponya Mall.

The parade ended back in the Joburg CBD with stops at the Bree Taxi Rank, Noord Taxi Rank, and Carlton Centre.