Former Kaizer Chiefs Star Explains Why He Left Mamelodi Sundowns After 20 Years Career
- Retired defender Ramahlwe Mphahlele broke down in tears during an emotional Metro FM interview about his footballing journey
- The 36-year-old opened up about the financial pressures that shaped his career decisions, including his move away from Sundowns
- Mphahlele represented six Betway Premiership clubs and earned 24 senior Bafana Bafana caps before hanging up his boots
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Ramahlwe Mphahlele has opened up about the deeply personal reasons behind his departure from Mamelodi Sundowns, revealing in an emotional interview with Metro FM on Thursday that family financial hardship drove several of the most significant decisions of his career.
The 36-year-old, who recently retired after a 20-year professional career, struggled to hold back tears during the interview after hearing video messages from his mother, Ramatsobana Moshopiadi Mphahlele, and his two children, Ofentse and Reitumetse.
**Family Before Football**
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Mphahlele explained that his move away from Sundowns was not motivated by anything on the pitch, but by his need to provide for his siblings and mother at a time when no one else could.
"A lot of people don't know the reason I left Sundowns, my sister wanted to go to varsity. She didn't have money," he said. "I wasn't making that much. My brother was finishing [high school], he wanted to go to university, so for me I wanted to liberate my people hence I made certain decisions in life."
He described a household where neither parent was in a position to provide support, leaving him as the sole option for his family's future. "Mom wasn't working, Dad wasn't supporting us so I was the only option. From where I'm from, there's not too many options."
Mphahlele said joining Kaizer Chiefs gave him the financial means to fund his siblings' education. His brother went on to complete a BCom degree, while his sister qualified as an electrical engineer. "I come from nothing and some decisions I made, I was scared that if I don't liberate my family and take them to school then they'll forever be my burden," he added.
**A Career Defined by Sacrifice and Success**
Despite those pressures, Mphahlele built a decorated career across six Betway Premiership clubs, representing Moroka Swallows, the University of Pretoria, Kaizer Chiefs, AmaZulu, ORBIT College, and Mamelodi Sundowns. He was part of the Swallows side that lifted the 2009 Nedbank Cup and won back-to-back league titles with Sundowns in 2013/14 and 2015/16, as well as the Nedbank Cup in that same season.
With Kaizer Chiefs, he featured in the 2021 CAF Champions League final, where Amakhosi fell 3-0 to Pitso Mosimane's Al Ahly. He earned 24 senior Bafana Bafana caps between 2016 and 2025, scoring once for the national team, and previously captained South Africa's U20 and U23 sides.
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Source: Briefly News
