It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for Sibusiso Mabiliso, a period in which he became a Glamour Boy and an Olympian in quick succession

Soon after completing his move from AmaZulu to Kaizer Chiefs at the beginning of last month, the 22-year-old defender jetted off to Tokyo to feature for South Africa’s Under-23 team at the Olympic Games.

Mabiliso caught up with his new teammates Reeve Frosler and Nkosingiphile Ngcobo in Tokyo, and he has now finally had the chance to join the rest of his Amakhosi teammates at Naturena as he begins life as a Chiefs player.

He was very complimentary of the reception he has received from all at the Chiefs village.

“I would like to thank everyone for the warm welcome. I am delighted to join this amazing club. I am looking forward to the next challenge. To be honest Kaizer Chiefs is a team I always dreamt of playing for. I was looking forward to it and I was very excited at the news initially. When the move happened, I got a call from my agent and then I spoke to my dad and mom and they pushed me to join Chiefs. They knew this was my dream move,” says an animated Mabiliso.

Despite his tender age, Mabiliso is already a seasoned professional, having made his debut in the DStv Premiership at the age of 18 for AmaZulu against Chippa United.

“I was developed at Platinum Stars academy. I am from a small village outside Rustenburg. From Platinum Stars I joined AmaZulu in 2018. I made my PSL debut at the age of 18 and was given my debut by coach Cavin Johnson,” Mabiliso told www.kaizerchiefs.com as he laid out his football journey to date.

After making his senior Bafana Bafana debut for the South African national team in June against Uganda and then featuring in Tokyo for the SA U-23 team, he is looking to build on the lessons he has gained from his international experience.

“At the Olympics, we did not get the result that we wanted, but we did get an experience that we can always learn from,” says the promising left back.

Having made some international and Olympic Chiefs connections, he is also excited to reunite with one or two equally new faces at the Amakhosi.

“When I got here, I was a bit nervous, but the guys made me feel welcome and I felt like I was part of the family. Njabulo Ngcobo is here. I used to play with him at AmaZulu and we always communicate. I am also familiar with Dillon Sheppard, who I used to communicate with when I was at Wits,” says Mabiliso.

The young defender played an integral role in AmaZulu ending as runners up in the league last season, playing in 25 league games for the Usuthu.

He is realistic about his hopes for the 2021-22 season but has promised Amakhosi fans he will work extremely hard to do the Club’s jersey justice.

“I don’t want to put myself under pressure. I promise to fight for the team for us to get some silverware. I would like to thank the fans for their warm welcome, I can guarantee them hard work,” concludes Mabiliso.