Share

Happy news for Pirates' Jele

Johannesburg - Happy Jele has renewed his contract at Orlando Pirates in what is a welcome piece of good news for a player who has had a miserable last year out with injury.

According to the supersport.com website, Jele is on his way back to action after being sidelined for almost 12 months and the vote of confidence will come as an added boost.

The new deal will keep him at the club until 2015, a brief statement from Pirates said on Monday.

The signing was concluded on Monday morning, it added.

Last month Pirates said Jele had recovered from his career-threatening knee injury only to suffer a quadricep strain in training a few weeks ago, just as he was working his way back into contention for a return to action.

Jele was the first choice right back for the champions before his injury and had also broken through into the national team squad.

He suffered the injury against Wits at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit in November last year, after a 75th minute collision with Siboniso Gumede.

He underwent surgery in December, having to wait first for the swelling to go down. He then had to wear a brace for several months to keep the knee in place.

Pirates have since bought Patrick Phungwayo from Wits as cover for his position, with the likes of Bheki Nzunga, Lucky Lekgwathi and Thabo Matlaba having also filled in on the right hand side of defence.

The 26-year-old Jele has been at Pirates for seven seasons and scored five times in 123 league and cup starts.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE