Kaizer Chiefs confirm departure of players who helped Soweto giants end trophy drought

Kaizer Chiefs were not busy with the senior team in the recently closed January transfer window, but there were movements in the junior team.

Amakhosi's reserve side won the league last season and were hoping to successfully defend their crown. Some of the players who helped them win the league last season, ending a three-year trophy drought, having won the 2022 Diski Shield, have left the club.

However, the departure and promotion of some key players have seen the reserve team struggle to compete with runaway leaders Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns, who are second.

As a matter of fact, the only player that the Glamour Boys added was Xhosa Manyana, who came from Cape Town City on loan until the end of the season.

Goalkeeper Bontle Molefe is among the players who have been sent on loan by Amakhosi.

"Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Bontle Molefe will be joining Leicesterford City FC on loan until the end of the 2025/26 season," the club said in a statement.

"Leicesterford City, based in Mpumalanga, compete in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, which is the national first division of South African football, under the PSL banner.

"This loan move forms part of the Club’s broader strategy to ensure that its promising emerging talent gains valuable game time and the experience required to thrive at the highest level of the sport," they added. 

Others are Sfiso Timba, who joined Gomora United, Vicky Mkhawana, who is now with Kruger United FC, as well as Ofentse Kgosana, who joined Casric Stars alongside Manqoba Ozoemena.

Nkosana Mbuthu was signed by Leicesterford City.

Amakhosi left-back Mbuthu is delighted with the chance he has been given to prove his worth while with the second-tier outfit.

"Spending time with the first team, I would say it meant a lot to me as a player. The growth, the lessons I got from them, from the camp that we were in Turkey, I feel like it was important for my development, and I am very thankful for it," he stated.  

"NFD is actually not a bad league. You get pretty experienced people, as I have, my teammate Fortune Makaringe here, who was big back in the day. So playing with people like those, you get to get experience and see how it is. They have never been on the top level, so you can see how to do stuff and when to do it. I think these six months are very important for me because I can push myself and get the experience that I need in the game. 

"And if I push us, if I push hard enough to where I actually wanna be... my goal right now is to do the best I can. Just keep working hard, pushing hard, and hopefully we will... You can't know what the future holds," he concluded.

In the race for the DDC championship, Orlando Pirates look determined to go all the way, owing to their recent form as opposed to the other teams.

They are on 40 points from 16 matches, thanks to 13 wins, a draw, and two losses, while Mamelodi Sundowns come in second with 33 points following 10 victories, three draws, and three defeats.  

Timba's Kaizer Chiefs, who are the defending champions, are on 26 points, 14 fewer than their traditional rivals, and six fewer than Siwelele, who are third. Stellenbosch have collected 35 points, which has placed them third.