Mpengesi is notorious for firing coaches, making his latest change when he sacked Dan Malesela in August for the second time and brought in Tinkler barely three games into the season.
Tinkler is hardly going to criticise his new boss, but points out Mpengesi operates from a position of passion.
"I find this man to have a soft spot, people just misunderstand him to a degree," said Tinkler, who started his reign at the Port Elizabeth-based outfit with a 2-1 loss to his former employers SuperSport United.
"He is very passionate about his team. He has a right to be.
"Nobody likes to see coaches being fired. It's hard.
"I was without a job for six months. It's not easy, it's hard. It's life in this game.
"People talk about pressure ... pressure is everywhere.
"Whether you are at Kaizer Chiefs or Chippa, it's all over because expectations and demands are increasing more.
"Already you can see [Manchester United coach, Jose] Mourinho is under pressure. [Unai] Emery at Arsenal is under pressure.
"Everybody is under pressure because expectations are high."
