Namibian international Deon Hotto has been playing in the PSL for 10 years now and has made a lot of progress, starting at Golden Arrows and ending up with Soweto giants Orlando Pirates, having gone via former topflight clubs Bloemfontein Celtic and Bidvest Wits. Throughout the time, the 33-year-old has proved to be a player coaches can rely on, playing in different positions in an effort to help his clubs succeed. This season, he has missed just one match in all competitions, showing how looking after himself plays a key role in the life of any footballer who wants to play the game for as long as possible. In this honest conversation with Soccer Laduma's Tshepang Mailwane, Hotto discusses Pirates' frustration of starting the season slow and the frank conversations they have as players in the dressing room.
Tshepang Mailwane: Orlando Pirates have been scoring goals like crazy in 2024. What has brought about this form because it was not always like this in the first half of the season?
Deon Hotto: Yeah, I see what you are saying. To be honest with you, when we started the season, we were struggling. We were playing good football, but we were struggling to put the ball in the back of the net. Sometimes it's one of those things where things are not going your way, but fortunately things are going well. It's like a brand-new team, but it's the same team. It's just that we were not clinical enough. We had a dark cloud upon us, not putting the ball in the back of the net. But now, everything is going according to what we are doing (in training). Everything is falling into place and goals are coming.
TM: Where do you think the struggle and lack of composure in front of goal was coming from?
DH: To be honest, it was one of those bad patches. We have been doing everything, but the ball did not want to go in the back of the net, and you would end up asking yourself what's happening. We asked ourselves that question and the coach was asking what more he could do. Let me make an example… I am a Liverpool supporter. When Liverpool played against Crystal Palace, they had clear chances. It was one of those days where you were wondering what's happening with them. Unfortunately for us, our goals are coming towards the end of the season. That's something that's not good for us because we have dropped a lot of points. We could have been closer to the log leaders (Mamelodi Sundowns), but what can we do? We just need to keep on fighting until we get it right.
TM: For most of the seasons, Pirates seem to start slow and then begin improving when it's too late to challenge for the league title. Does that not frustrate you as a team?
DH: Definitely. It's very frustrating, I won't lie to you. But we can't show it to the fans. We are keeping this to ourselves because the pressure we have is a lot. You come back into the changing room and then you go home and think about how many points we have dropped unnecessarily. We have dropped a lot of points, but we have to soldier on. We can't keep our heads down because there is still a lot to play for. We are in the Nedbank Cup, and we are still fighting to go back to Africa. I hope we can take notes and start decently (next season).
TM: How do you think you can fix this problem as a team?
DH: We have all the tools, to be honest, to win everything in this league. We just need to push in the same direction. We need to attack together, defend together - that's what good teams do. Sometimes, you will find a striker or midfielder is not tracking back and is giving that responsibility to the defender or the winger is giving the responsibility to the fullback. Sometimes, I think we need to push together as a team because, obviously, a striker, a midfielder, a winger and a defender will lose the ball and a keeper will make a mistake. So, we just need to pull together.
TM: As players, do you ever hold each other accountable for these things that you are talking about?
DH: Yes, we do. We fight a lot in the changing room, even at halftime. It's not all about the coach speaking, no. The coach will have maybe five minutes of the 15 minutes. The other minutes are just us as players talking to each other and saying 'You were supposed to track back' or 'You were supposed to do this and this'. For me, this thing of us fighting came late in the season. We are pulling together. That's something we have lacked from the beginning of the season, but now it's like a different team when Pirates is playing. The changing room has changed. It's not all about the coach coming in and having a say. Now we are all fighting to say 'No, no, no, (Sipho) Chaine, you could have done this' or, 'Thabang (Monare), (Makhehlene) Makhaula, you could have done this'. We do that to lift each other up.
TM: If the dressing room was not like this now, what was it like earlier in the season?
DH: Most of the time, we could not see our mistakes. Sometimes in life, you won't see everything. You will see it only later. You start seeing what you were supposed to do. That's the thing. Everything in life is a learning curve because you won't get everything on a silver platter. You have to go through some stuff to get there. To be honest, the team is heading in the right direction. It's just that we got this late in the season, but we are heading in the right direction.
TM: Do you think there will come a time when supporters lose patience when it comes to you guys not winning the league title?
DH: The supporters are our first priority. They put a lot of money into this team. We know how they are feeling, and they know how we are feeling also. Even if you are at home or at the stadium, you can see the team is doing everything. Obviously, there will be some (supporters) who say 'We need a striker coach' or 'We need this and that'. For me, I've won all the cups, but it's the league… that's the problem. The supporters want the league. The chairman wants the league. The coach wants the league. We want the league. Our families want the league. We all want it. But for us to get that league title, we have to go through a lot of things first. It's not going to come easy. Everyone has to pull together, from the striker to the goalkeeper, to the technical staff, to the kitman… we all have to pull together for us to reach that target. We also need the supporters.
TM: Sure…
DH: I'll make an example… the game we played in Durban against AmaZulu, we conceded first. It was 1-0. But you know what those supporters did? They had that belief and hope that we were going to come back. You know what that gives us? It gives us that motivation to say we can come back, and we know that we have to dig deep. That's what we need. You don't want to come to a stadium and then we go 1-0 down and supporters start to boo the team. That's a handbrake for your team, because the other team will start feeling that the supporters are against us and they will push us against the wall. The support we had in Durban is the support we need. The supporters are playing a big role.
TM: Let's go back to scoring goals a bit and focus on two players – Zakhele Lepasa and Tshegofatso Mabasa. Lepasa started the season so well and struggled a bit after that, and you have Mabasa now who is banging in the goals. How do you respond to that as a team, to encourage the one who is struggling and keep motivating the one who is scoring?
DH: Zakhele started the season like a house on fire, but we must not forget that Zakes was almost out for a whole season some time ago with an injury. He went for an operation. So now, the injury came back and those are things people don't know. For him, the injury he got had to limit his speed. When he came back now, he plays a bit cautiously because he feels like, 'I am going to hurt myself again'. It's a psychological thing. It's in the brain. You might say you are not feeling the pain, but inside your mind you are still scared. Mabasa was sent out on loan and came back to Pirates. What does that do for his motivation? First, he is going to show the coach and the supporters and the club that 'I am here, and I am here to cement my position' and that's what he is doing. He is doing what is required of him as a striker. He is here to show that he belongs here. To be honest, we are happy with both of them. I always tell Zakes that, when we started the season, he did everything for us. He scored the goals, and he came up with assists. He was the first one to do the pressing and all of that. He did a lot for the team, but people will forget that. We don't forget that as players. He did a lot for us when we started the season, but things are not going his way. That does not mean he has to drop or slack.
TM: That's true…
DH: He has to keep fighting until he gets that form again. You know when a striker scores one, he is going to score again because he is feeling confident, like Mabasa is doing now. Mabasa is scoring and he is assisting. Now his confidence is high. We do encourage each other a lot at training.
TM: There is Evidence Makgopa as well who was doing well before he sustained an injury…
DH: Yes! You know in a team you need that healthy competition. We have three of the best strikers in the country. That's Zakes, Evidence, Mabasa…what Lepasa did for us before he went to AFCON (Africa Cup of Nations), he did a lot. It's a healthy competition for the coach and for us as a team. We can depend on them. If Zakes is having a niggling problem, then we know Mabasa is here. If Mabasa has something, we know Makgopa is there. Makgopa is now training with us and jogging a bit, so we have enough ammunition to help us. It's a healthy competition.
TM: You have played every single league game for Pirates this season and a total of over 2600 minutes in all competitions. How does that feel?
DH: I came to South Africa in 2014 and we are in 2024. From 2014 to 2024, I have played almost every single game. With cup games, it depends on who we are playing against. Sometimes if it's a small team, the coach will take me with, but I am not going to play, or he will put me on later. That's since 2014 till now. I've never had a red card and I have not been suspended. I am on three yellow cards now and if I get one, then I will be suspended. I am not a guy who usually gets cards. Usually, my cards are about time-wasting, like if there is a throw-in or something like that. That's where I get my yellow cards, not from tackling someone or swearing at someone.
TM: That is incredible, Deon. How have you managed to play consistently, both for club and country?
DH: You know, my wife always asks me 'How do you do this? When it's off-season, you are going to the national team. Are you not getting tired? When are you going to rest?' I always tell her that I did not come here to rest. I came here to work. For me, the good thing is that I don't do a lot. After training or after a game, I go straight home. I don't go to malls or those things. I come straight home and I rest. That's how my life is. It's hard to see me in the malls. That's why I told my wife that she is a housewife. I don't want a wife who goes to work. That's how my life is. I try my level best to be a professional. I thank the Almighty Lord for keeping me healthy and injury-free.
TM: And your wife is happy to be a housewife? No complaints at all?
DH: Yes, she is.
TM: So, all in all, how would you describe the 10 years you have been in the PSL?
DH: My 10 years… it's amazing to have played so many matches since I came here. I give thanks to the Almighty for protecting me and for my family and for all the coaches who have trusted me. I've worked a lot to be at Pirates and it was a dream come true. It was not an easy one.
TM: In terms of your position on the field, does it matter where you play because you are used mostly as a fullback when we had come to know you more as a left winger?
DH: Eish, I won't say it does not matter because sometimes it affects my performance also. But I am just fortunate that before I came to South Africa, I played as a left back. So, I knew the role, at least. When I joined Wits, there was a time when (Sifiso) Hlanti got injured. Gavin Hunt did not know who to play there and I said, 'Coach, I can do the job there'. So, I played one game there and Gavin was happy with that performance. But Hlanti had to come back, and the coach was like, 'What am I going to do now?' because Haashim (Domingo) played as a left wing that day and we had a nice combination. But Hlanti was in the national team at the time, so he had to play to keep being in the national team. So, it doesn't really matter, but it does matter also because sometimes it depends on who you are playing with. If I am playing in a 3-5-1-1, I need my six to cover me. But if my six does not cover me, it means I have a lot of work to do.
Imagine I am going down the line, I cross the ball and then the keeper gets it. Then the keeper plays the ball in my channel. Then it means I am out of my channel, so they are going to exploit my channel. So, I always tell the guys if we play in a 3-5-1-1, I need to go freely. I must not be worried a lot about coming back because in a 3-5-1-1, it gives us a lot of options to play and go out in a low block. But the coach also had a chat with me about playing there, asking if I am okay to play there. I said, 'No coach, I am not angry. As long as I am giving something for the team, I am okay'. Whenever I am in a position I am not comfortable with, I always tell the coach before the match that, 'Coach, I am going to do my level best. It's not going to be on your terms, it's going to be on my terms because it's not my position'. But I will do my level best. We need to be on the same page.
TM: As we head to the end of the season, are there any Bucs players you feel are in a good position to win the PSL Footballer of the Season award?
DH: Yes, there are. Patrick Maswanganyi has done well, and everybody can see it. (Relebohile) Mofokeng has done well, to be honest. Mabasa can take the Top Goalscorer award, for sure. He will take it, I know 100 percent he will.
TM: What has Maswanganyi brought to Pirates?
DH: 'Tito' has brought a lot to the team. He dictates the game, whether we are going fast or we are going to slow down the tempo of the game. I don't know who scouted the guy, he is good. For me, the team needs the league next season, but if I was the chairman of the team, I was going to sell Patrick and Rele (Mofokeng) to go to Europe. Then, with the money, I would buy two or three quality players. Both of them are good. But 'Tito' does everything. He has goals and assists. He attacks and defends. What more do you want from him? He does a lot and I am happy for him.
TM: Do you think Maswanganyi should feature more for Bafana Bafana?
DH: Oh, yes. He is definitely going to be there more. He played the one game (against Andorra). I know that he went there and learnt. For the next call-up, I know that he is going to know what to do.
TM: You speak so highly of Mofokeng. Has there been a better youngster you have seen during your 10 years in the PSL?
DH: Let me think. He is the first, to be honest. For me, he is the first young player that I have seen who does things like this. The boy is too good. It's not a coincidence that he went for trials at Wolves. I saw what he did in Spain when we were there for pre-season. He wasn't shaken. The boy has a bright future. I just hope he can stay in his lane and keep his head in the game. I don't want him to start doing funny things. That's why I say if I was the chairman of the team, I was going to sell him now. He must go. I feel most players in South Africa get too comfortable. Once you have a good season, then you feel like you have made it. That's the only thing I am scared of. I just want him to go out of the country.
TM: Thank you so much for your time, Deon. This was really a great chat.
DH: Thank you. I really enjoyed it.
DEON HOTTO FACT FILE
Full name: Deon Hotto
Date of birth: 29 October 1991
Place of birth: Swakopmund, Namibia
Nickname: Hot One
Position: Winger-cum-defender
Jersey number: 7
Club: Orlando Pirates
Previous clubs: Blue Boys, African Stars (both Namibia), Golden Arrows, Bloemfontein Celtic, Bidvest Wits
Honours: 65 Namibia caps, 2014/2015 National First Division champion (with Arrows), 2020, 2022, 2023 MTN8 winner, 2023 Nedbank Cup winner (all with Pirates)
