Bafana Bafana striker Zakhele Lepasa breaks silence after Orlando Pirates exit - 'It has done nothing but fuel my hunger because of the pain'

Bafana Bafana striker Zakhele Lepasa has broken his silence after Orlando Pirates confirmed that he has left the club.

Zakhele's exit at Pirates first came out when South Africa's CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) squad was announced, and the striker was labelled as an unattached player.

Later, the Soweto giants confirmed the striker's exit.

"I think for me, the one thing that would mean a lot to me is to see myself on the field and wearing a football jersey and being able to get the first minutes of the season. It's something that I'm looking forward to,” Lepasa said, as quoted by SABC Sport. 

“I didn't play the whole season last season, but I've had an injury like that. The difference is that one had occurred in December, but I only came back the next December. So, it's like I only missed the last part of the season and the first part of the season," he added.

The 28-year-old said the injury brought a lot of doubt to him, but he is ambitious; he will attain his goals after recovering.

“So, I never really felt like I was out the whole season, and for me, this is the first time that this has happened, and it brings a lot of doubt in my football career. It brings a lot of doubt in my life as well, in terms of can I still try and be back and do what I can do best and maybe get back into the national team and all the goals that I've set for myself," he added.

“I'm also yet to see that, but it has done nothing but fuel my hunger because of the pain that I had to go through and the sacrifices that I had to make in one year for me to find myself playing football again."

Last season, as the Sea Robbers challenged in multiple competitions, Lepasa's services were critically missed.

Jose Riveiro then had Evidence Makgopa and Tshegofatso Mabasa to depend on, although in the end, the Soweto giants were unable to win the Premier Soccer League, the Champions League, or defend the Nedbank Cup.

Lepasa, who scored 20 goals in 64 matches for the Buccaneers since his arrival in 2019, hopes to be involved next season but with a new outfit after his Pirates exit was confirmed.

After missing action for the entirety of last season, Lepasa could return to the pitch when South Africa take part in the CHAN finals. His hope now is that former Kaizer Chiefs coach Molefi Ntseki will hand him regular minutes during the continental tournament in East Africa.

Bafana are in Group C alongside Uganda, Niger, Guinea, and Algeria, and these matches will be hosted in Kampala.

The tournament will run from August 2 to 30, with South Africa starting their campaign against Algeria on August 8.