Orlando Pirates chairman Irvin Khoza has backed assistant coach Rulani Mokwena to join Jomo Sono in becoming a legend at the club.

The former Mamelodi Sundowns assistant has made a good start to life with the Soweto giants after making a shock move from Chloorkop to the Mayfair-based outfit, but Khoza has given Micho Sredojevic’s second-in-command his backing.

‘For Rulani it’s emotional because his family tree has got incredible history embedded in this club,’ Khoza told reporters.

“I think from an administrative side, he wants to create his own kind of legacy because his grandfather [Eric ‘Scara’ Sono] and his uncle [Jomo Sono] were great icons of this team.

“When you talk about Pirates you cannot mix up that surname [Sono], so it’s very important for Rulani. He has started very well, he’s still maturing and his attitude is the right one because the man wants to learn all the time.

Khoza highlighted some of Rhulani’s traits that will equip him to succeed at a club like Pirates.

“The man has no time for luxuries and niceties, he just wants to throw himself in the deep end, which is the attitude of a winner. If you do that and you are not scared of failing, then you’ve got all the chances of being successful in life, because you must be criticised for you to grow, and he’s prepared for that.”

“I think with his coach [Micho], who has graduated – he came here for the first time with a small suitcase, now he’s got a Gucci case, so he’s a branded man now – and I hope that’s going to rub off on Rulani, to make sure that you must remain grounded for you to be able to be successful in this world,” he concluded.

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