November 22, 2002 

ORLANDO PIRATES, one of South Africa's oldest and popular clubs, has organised high profile events this weekend to celebrate its 65th anniversary. A lavish dinner on Friday night at the Sandton Convention Centre will be the main attraction in the celebrations, during which honours will be bestowed on past and present heroes who contributed to the famous team's successes. The club will also take a step into the technological era when it launches a website at the dinner.

A league fixture against Dynamos on Saturday at Orlando stadium, will be staged to honour the community that gave birth and sustained the team. A seven-a-side corporate soccer tournament on Sunday afternoon will round off the festivities that will be characterised by generous prizes.

Former players of the team who will be honoured at tonight's dinner include Jomo Sono, the owner and coach of the Premiership club Jomo Cosmos, and Kaizer Motaung, the owner of glamour club, Kaizer Chiefs.

Others who will be honoured for their contribution to the success of the Buccaneers, as Pirates are popularly known, are the legendary Barnard "Dancing Shoes" Hartze, Keith "Mthakathi" Broad, Rashid Kahn, Ralph "Ndabazantu" Hendricks.

Broad was one of the first white players to join Pirates in the late 1970's after the Nationalist Party government policies had forced the disbanding of the multiracial team in the 1960's. Hans Moses, another of the team's former white players, who died a few years ago, will be honoured posthumously, and plans are being finalised to erect a tombstone in his memory.

Other prominent sports personalities and politicians will also be at the dinner, which is estimated to have cost R2 million to organise.

Back to the team's roots
On Saturday the celebrations will move to Orlando Stadium in Soweto where Pirates will host Limpopo province-based Dynamos for a Premier Soccer League fixture. The youthful Buccaneers team will be hoping to continue their current season's form, which they have started like a house on fire by winning all five of their league matches.
The event will also mark the 70th anniversary of Orlando East, one of the oldest townships in Soweto and Pirates' birthplace.

On Sunday the celebrations continue at the Arthur Bloch Sports Ground in Mayfair, Johannesburg, where a seven-a-side corporate tournament will take place. Participating sides stand to win prizes of up to R12 000 in bursaries.

Two individuals will be honoured for outstanding performance in the competition as Player of the Tournament and Top Goal scorer of the Tournament.

History of Orlando Pirates
Orlando Pirates was formed in 1937 in Orlando East, Soweto. Andries "Pele-pele" Mkhwanazi, who was a trainer-coach of a boxing club at the Orlando YMCA, was the main scout for talented soccer players who attended his boxing classes.
He encouraged these players to form themselves into a soccer club, which resulted in the formation of the Orlando Boys Club, the forerunner of Orlando Pirates Football Club.

In 1939 the name Orlando Boys Club was discarded and Orlando Pirates adopted. Bethuel Mokgosinyane was elected the club's first president in 1940, a position he held for over a decade. He bought the first team kit with money out of his own pocket and conducted all the team's business from his house, including weekly general meetings of supporters and those of the executive committee.

The core of the initial team which played for almost 10 years included Willard "Uyindoda" Msomi, David Khumalo, Steve Sehlako, Pat Nxumalo, Jerry Sibiya, Jerry Mazibuko, Samuel "Baboon Sheperd" Shabangu, Mike Modisane, Elliot "Buick" Buthelezi, Sydney Mabuza, Steve Mpshe, Zachariah Rammela, Jimmy "Hitler" Sobi, Isaac "Rocks" Mothei, Alex "Mr Motto" Tshabalala, Lucas "Ace" Buthelezi and Andrew "Haasie" Basie.

The team campaigned in the Johannesburg Bantu Football Association and the Johannesburg Football Association. Teams from all over the country wanted to play against Pirates, either to bolster their coffers as the club was a crowd puller or to increase their own profile.

In the recent past the team has won the following competitions:

• The African Super Cup in 1996;
• The African Champions Cup in 1995;

Other achievements are the BP Top 8 tournament, which Pirates annexed seven times.