WeeklySA_AdminLACK-LUSTRE: Coach laments his poor contribution to the North West outfit so far, and is eager to see him in his element soon…
By Masoja Cele
Betway Premiership side Orbit College technical team led by Pogiso Makhoye has raised concern about Orlando Pirates-loaned player Monnapule Saleng’s contribution to the team.
Saleng fell out of favour with the Buccaneers over contractual dispute, which culminated in him being loaned to newbies Orbit in the beginning of 2025/season. Many believed this was a blessing for the winger to resuscitate his career and reclaim his dwindling football career. Speaking on one of the radio sports show hosts, coach Makoye lamented Saleng’s lacklustre performance in the team. He believed the team played much better football when he was on the bench. “Saleng is a big player who has played at a big team (Pirates) before. Now we expect him to carry the team on his shoulders and lead the team,” Makoye said.
The coach conceded that the club had high hopes when Saleng signed for the club. However, Makhoye’s analysis was that the player had not yet performed to his best ability to give the team that much-needed balance. Instead, the team played “extremely well without him”. The speedy winger has donned the Mswenko Boys jersey on four occasions but hadn’t managed to score or muster an assist. But Makhoye and his technical team welcomed the FIFA break so they could work towards assisting Saleng to settle in and regain his old form.
Meanwhile Sekhukhune United are on the verge of signing former Mamelodi Sundowns defender-cum-midfielder Rivaldo Coetzee.
After leaving Sundowns, the ex-Ajax Cape Town player was rumoured to be heading to clubs elsewhere on the continent. For now, he is training with the team to maintain his level of fitness. Western Cape outfit Stellenbosch were also keen on the services of the hard-working star player. Coetzee was once the darling of the Brazilians team before his career was hamstrung by recurring injuries.
The former Ajax Cape Town youth product joined Sundowns in the 2017/campaign.During his seven year stay at Masandawana the Kakamas born midfielder has won seven league titles,one MTN and one Nedbank cup. Orlando Pirates might play Stellenbosch FC in the MTN 8 final at Mbombela Stadium next Saturday without the services of the influential attacking midfielder Patrick Maswanganyi. The player twisted his ankle during their fixture at Chippa United a week ago.
This is a big blow to the Bucs family as Maswanganyi was beginning to pick up his game which made him popular among the Pirates faithful following his arrival from SuperSport United.
On a positive note, Pirates are expecting the return of workaholic midfielder Makhehleni Makhaula and Nigerian defender Olisa Ndah. Both Makhaula and Ndah have been sidelined with different sorts of injuries. But, the duo are making strides in their recovery and could be soon back in the team. It will be a big boost for Pirates if both players can pass a late fitness test before the MTN 8 against Stellenbosch.
AmaZulu have strengthened their strikeforce with the signing of former Baroka FC forward Thabiso Kutumela. Club president Sandile Zungu has personally acknowledged the arrival of Kutumela. “We are very pleased to welcome Thabiso into the club. He is a complete striker’’ gushes Zungu on the club’s website. “We hope that the former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns will hit the ground running at Usuthu. We welcome him with both hands,” concluded Zungu.
