Khanyisa Mayo must rise above Kaizer Chiefs nightmarish start, and reclaim his story

Khanyisa Mayo mustn’t allow his blooper start at Amakhosi to define his journey. A season is a marathon, not a sprint — so there’s ample time for him to find his rhythm.

When Mayo joined Kaizer Chiefs a few weeks ago, he realised a childhood dream. But such has been the turn of events, he hasn’t had the ideal start to life as a Glamour Boy.

A son of Chiefs' legend Patrick Mayo, Khanyisa spent some of his childhood years at the Taung Village in Naturena. I can imagine him daring to dream that he’d one day don the famous gold-and-black jersey of the club and follow in his father's footsteps.

After many detours — which included spells at Richards Bay, Cape Town City, and most recently CR Belouizdad — Khanyisa, now a man, finally arrived at Lena Road.

It was the sort of arrival fit for a homecoming, with Chiefs’ sporting director Kaizer Motaung waxing lyrical during his unveiling, saying: "Here is the man that has South Africa in the palm of his hand!"

This came after Chiefs' fans reached fever pitch on social media when the news broke that he’d be joining the club on loan. They insisted that Belouizdad’s decision to throw him out like trash — after coach Sead Ramovic said he was not in his plans — was in fact their treasure.

Mayo repaid the faith shown in him from the onset, scoring on debut in the 1-1 draw with Marumo Gallants in the Betway Premiership.

His late registration, though, meant he was unavailable for the CAF Confederation Cup second-leg preliminary qualifier against Kabuscorp. But that was neither here nor there — Amakhosi still got the job done as they progressed to the next round.

So, after the dream debut, you couldn’t help but imagine the excitement of the Chiefs supporters when Mayo led the line in the league clash against AmaZulu. But alas, it ended in tears.

Mayo denied Chiefs a golden opportunity to win the game, end their winless run in the league, and climb the log — after he touched Pule Mmodi’s goal-bound effort while in an offside position.

Mmodi, some of his teammates, and the fans — both at the stadium and at home — justifiably turned on him, lamenting what looked like greed and a desire to outshine everyone. A mistake that has since torn him to shreds, according to co-interim coach Cedric Kaze.

"These things happen, and everyone in the team is not happy — starting with the player," said Kaze, who was speaking ahead of Chiefs’ visit to Stellenbosch in the Carling Knockout first-round clash at DHL Stadium on Sunday afternoon (3pm kick-off).

"It’s unfortunate because he cost us two points. On the other hand, we understand he didn’t do it on purpose to deny his teammates a goal."

Granted, Mayo is not everyone’s cup of tea at the moment. But he can’t cry over spilt milk. He has to look at his torrid start at the club and dust himself off — starting with the away trip to Stellenbosch.

Chiefs are in a pit at the moment. They are without a coach — as Nasreddine Nabi is reportedly on his way out — and without a talisman they can count on. Godly Lilepo and Gaston Sirino also missed penalties in back-to-back league matches, both resulting in draws.

So enter Mayo. This is the time for him to be the "Messiah", and turn from villain into hero. Chiefs need to do well in the 'beer cup' to bring calm and stability to the club and their fanbase.

Kaze and his partner-in-crime, Khalil Ben Youssef, also need redemption — as much as Mayo does — if they are to be retained, at least as assistant coaches, once Nabi and the club formally agree to part ways.

So again — no one said it was going to be easy, or that Khanyisa would seamlessly follow in the footsteps of his father, Patrick, a legend of Amakhosi. But his destiny is still in his own hands — and he can change things around.

Mayo must just run his own race, and not let missteps along the way define his path!