While discussing Du Preez's visible composure issues in the CAF Confederation Cup first leg — which ended 0–0 at TP Mazembe Stadium — Mkhize admitted he once deliberately missed a scoring chance to spite his own coach.
The Chiefs' clash in Lubumbashi was dominated by attacking frustration. Khanyisa Mayo hit the crossbar, Mfundo Vilakazi forced a remarkable save, and Du Preez failed to convert an open-goal opportunity.
While Mkhize carefully avoided accusing Du Preez of intentional sabotage, he opened the door to the psychological complexities of player-coach relationships and admitted to having missed a sitter to spite a coach.
"Sometimes a player may be unhappy with a coach who doesn't value them enough… This can lead to a player not putting in their full effort," Mkhize told KickOff.com.
"I remember when I was at Chiefs, I once missed an easy chance on purpose, just to spite our coach, Muhsin Ertugral."
The incident occurred during a Cape Town match, where Mkhize deliberately headed wide from a cross by Jabu Pule (now Mahlangu).
"The ball grazed the goalpost and went out," he recalled.
Mkhize initially expressed sympathy for Du Preez, linking the miss to the striker's personal grief over his father's passing.
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