Moroka Swallows striker Phumelele Bhengu has been rewarded for his hard work by being voted by the public as the November winner of the Jet Club PSL Rookie of the Month Award.

Bhengu outshone strong opposition such as AmaZulu defender Mark van Heerden, Bryce Aka (Maritzburg United), Kurt Lentjies (Mamelodi Sundowns) and Patrick Phungwayo (BidVest Wits University) to scoop the November award.

Winning this award was an excellent belated birthday present for Bhengu, who turned 19 on Wednesday, 19 November.

Bhengu — who joined Moroka Swallows' development team back in 2003 at the tender age of 14 — became a hero with the Swallows fans on 4 October when he scored a brace against Soweto rivals, Kaizer Chiefs, in Rustenburg to help his team win the game 2-0.

He progressed from the Swallows Under-15 team through to the Colts Team (Under-19). His sterling performances at age-group level left the club's technical team no choice but to promote him to the senior team at the beginning of this season.

Bhengu has scored two goals and created many other opportunities for his team-mates to score. His achievement in being named as the Jet Club PSL Rookie of the Month for November will serve as a motivation for him to work even harder, so as to achieve his dream of one day playing for Bafana Bafana.

Bhengu who goes by the nickname of 'Drogba', is the second player to win this season's Jet Club PSL Rookie of the Month after Kaizer Chiefs ace George Lebese won the first gong in October.

The two strikers now automatically qualify for the overall Jet Club PSL Rookie of the Year Award, which was won by Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune last season. The winner of this annual award will once again walk off with R50 000 in prize money.