“We signed a striker, not a saint” – Biyela on new signing Mhango’s lifestyle

Richards Bay chairman Sifiso “Jomo” Biyela has defended the club’s decision to sign Gabadinho Mhango, insisting goals matter more than the striker’s controversial off-field reputation and drinking history.

Speaking at the club’s unveiling of new signings in KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday, Biyela refused to be drawn into a moral debate over Mhango’s lifestyle, saying he’s more interested in getting goals from the veteran forward than judging his past mistakes.

“I am not in a position of judging people. I am not Jesus. My role is to support people, try and get the best out of people,” Biyela said when asked whether Mhango would undergo counselling. “Most of the time I look at the positive side of things and try as a father figure to deal with the negative side of things.”

Mhango, 32, has made headlines for the wrong reasons in recent years, most notably when a video of him allegedly intoxicated surfaced last September after he crashed his car into a taxi in Bloemfontein. Yet Biyela remains unfazed.

“I don’t want to be negative and suppress all the good things he [Mhango] has done,” the chairman added. “The fact of the matter is, statistics are there in terms of the goals that he’s scoring. Give me a player that doesn’t drink who’s giving those statistics… they don’t drink but they don’t score and they drink but they score.”

The outspoken club owner, whose team is targeting a top-four finish in the Betway Premiership this season, made it clear that delivering results on the pitch takes precedence — though he admitted he would speak to Mhango to ensure his conduct doesn’t damage the club’s image.

“I am not in rehab… what do I want? Do I want them to score or do I want them to change their lifestyle? For the sake of the club’s badge, I will sit with the player and make him understand that he’s in the twilight of his career, so his off-field things mustn’t affect his work,” Biyela explained.

Richards Bay, who finished eighth last season to qualify for the MTN8 for the first time in their history, are hoping the former Orlando Pirates and AmaZulu striker can offer the goals they’ve often lacked.

Mhango arrives with a reputation as a natural finisher, but also as a polarising figure whose discipline has been questioned at multiple clubs. That doesn’t bother Biyela — at least not yet.

“I’ve got a lot of good players who drink and some of them you [the journalists] don’t even know they drink but I know they drink,” he said. “But they play well and they’re disciplined.”

With Richards Bay setting bold targets for the 2025/26 campaign, the chairman is clearly banking on Mhango’s boots rather than his behaviour. Whether that gamble pays off remains to be seen.