Jabu Mahlangu

For the South African politician, see Jabu Mahlangu (politician).

Jabu Jeremiah Mahlangu (born Jabu Jeremiah Pule on 11 July 1980) is a former South African association football midfielder.

Jabu Mahlangu

Personal information
Full name	Jabu Jeremiah Mahlangu
Birth name	Jabu Jeremiah Pule
Date of birth	(1980-07-11) 11 July 1980 (age 45)
Place of birth	Daveyton, South Africa
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
1991–1999	Kaizer Chiefs
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1999–2004	Kaizer Chiefs	99	(27)
2004–2005	SV Mattersburg	22	(2)
2005–2006	Supersport United	9	(0)
2006–2007	Orlando Pirates	18	(1)
2008	Östers IF	13	(5)
2009	Platinum Stars	12	(2)
2010	Östers IF	22	(1)
2012	FC Cape Town	0	(1)
2014	Supersport United	3	(0)
Total		185	(67)
International career‡
1999–2000	South Africa U-23	17	(1)
2000–2004	South Africa	20	(2)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13 September 2014 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 13 February 2012

Club career

South Africa

Pule's first club was Kaizer Chiefs, where his contract was terminated in 2004 due to unprofessional conduct.^{[citation needed]} He began trials for SV Mattersburg in Austria, but after eight months, he was asked to leave the club after crashing his car while under the influence of alcohol.^{[citation needed]}

Twice sent to a rehabilitation clinic to overcome his problems with drinking and drugs, Pule was sacked by SuperSport United in late 2005 after missing several training sessions.^{[citation needed]} He was then signed by Orlando Pirates and changed his surname to Mahlangu in early 2006.

Sweden

Pule left South Africa on 23 June 2008 for trials with Swedish clubs Helsingborgs IF, IF Limhamn Bunkeflo, and Östers IF, after training under the guidance of Farouk Khan at his academy in South Africa.

He completed 13 games for Östers IF in Division 1 Södra as the team came close to promotion into Superettan, with none of the problematic behaviour that had previously marred his career.^{[citation needed]}

On 18 February 2010, Jabu signed a one-year contract with now Superettan newcomers Östers IF.^[1]

International career

Jabu made 20 appearances for the South Africa national football team from 2000 to 2004,^[2] and was a participant at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and at the 2000 Olympic Games.^[3] During the team's departure for the World Cup, South African president Thabo Mbeki, while shaking hands with the players to wish them good luck, said to him: "Jabu, you must behave yourself".

He was not selected for the South African squad in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, due to his behavior.^{[citation needed]}

Career statistics

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	8 April 2000	Setsoto Stadium, Maseru, Lesotho	Lesotho	0–2	Win	2002 FIFA World Cup qual.
2.	24 August 2002	Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane, South Africa	Swaziland	4–1	Win	2002 COSAFA Cup
Correct as of 9 March 2017[4][5]