WHEN Milford FC’s goalkeeper, Siphamandla “Super” Hleza, made a spectacle of himself burning the shirt of Kaizer Chiefs in the round of the Last 32 of the Nedbank Cup in the 2023/2024 season, that’s when South African football lovers started paying attention to him.
It has become history that Hleza was the hero when Milford defeated Amakhosi 5-4 on penalties in the match at FNB Stadium in 2024. He was named as the best player because of his blocking of difficult balls, and he also scored the winning penalty.
At that time, Hleza and Milford were in their first season in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, where they survived the competition finishing in 13th place on the log.
After three seasons this team from Richards Bay is playing in the Motsepe Championship, in the coming year of 2026/2027 they will be running in the Premiership following the victory in the PSL Promotional Play-Offs two weeks ago.
Hleza (34) who hails from Ermelo, Mpumalanga, was the strong goalkeeper who captained the Stallions last season, finishing third in the Motsepe Championship log, and reaching the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup.
“Players’ competition is part of the game of football. Although I am the strongest goalkeeper in the team, I am ready for the challenge of competing with any goalkeeper that the team may bring as we are about to play in the Premiership.
Even if the team can get Manuel Neuer (from Bayern Munich and Germany), it will not change anything for me because I will continue to work with determination and hard work.
Actually, my teammates who I compete with in the sticks, they are the ones who made me in the form I finished the season in because of the pressure they put on me to compete in our training,” said Hleza, who was competing for the jersey with Ffanufikile Madondo and Lungile Nkosi who were loaned by Milford to Kaizer Chiefs.
The goalkeeper has moved away from this Richards Bay team since they were still playing in the Safa ABC Motsepe League.
“I have played for Milford for a long time. I joined it in the 2018/2019 season from Steenberg, Cape Town. I left it and went to Happy Wanderers (of Port Shepstone), in the following season of 2020/2021 I returned to Milford. In the 2023/2024 season the chairman, Dr. Pupuma (Xanti) bought a Motsepe Championshiop certificate from Thongathi FC. The promotion of this team to the Premiership means the fulfillment of a dream of years for me, my colleagues in the team, and the fans of the team who have been falling and rising with us for a long time,” said Hleza.