Zakhele Lepasa says two-year injury battle left his life ‘on hold’

Former Orlando Pirates striker Zakhele Lepasa says a two-year battle with injuries made him feel as though his life had been suspended while he waited to return to football.

The 29-year-old, who is currently on the books of Siwelele, has been unable to establish a regular run of football during a prolonged period on the sidelines.

Lepasa has now described the emotional impact of that absence, explaining that his focus on recovering and returning to the pitch affected his sense of time and his view of life away from the game.

Writing on his Substack page, he said: “For the better part of two years, I have been battling injuries in my football career. Somewhere in that struggle, I lost my sense of time. Days became indistinguishable, months passed without much recollection, and life, as I had come to know it, seemed to be suspended.”

Football, Lepasa said, had always been closely connected to his identity, routine and ambitions. That made adapting to life without it particularly challenging.

“Football had always been more than a profession. It was a part of my identity, my routine, my ambition and, in many ways, my understanding of myself. So when injury took that away, I found myself negotiating with a version of life I had never really prepared for.”

The former Pirates forward admitted that he became so preoccupied with regaining his place as a footballer that he failed to fully recognise the time passing around him.

He questioned how much of his life had been missed while he waited for his body to recover, and said the consequences of injury could extend beyond a player’s physical condition.

“Perhaps that is one of the cruelties of injury. It does not merely challenge the body; it can quietly convince you that your existence has been put on hold.”

Despite the difficulties of the past two years, Lepasa said he remained determined to continue his career. However, he has begun to reconsider the cost of making his happiness dependent on a return to full fitness.

“I am still ambitious. I still want to play, to achieve, to discover what remains possible for me. I have not abandoned the future I imagined. But I am beginning to question whether the pursuit of that future should require me to remain dissatisfied with the present.”

Lepasa added that his desire to keep pursuing his football ambitions should not come at the expense of his life in the present.

“I can continue fighting for the footballer I wish to become without abandoning the human being I already am. I still have a future I want to fight for. But I no longer wish to sacrifice every present moment in its name.”