Bucs confirm assistant coach’s exit after trophy-laden spell

ORLANDO Pirates have confirmed that assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi is leaving the club to take up a head-coach job at another PSL club.

The Buccaneers announced the move after talks with club management on Thursday morning, 22 October.

Ncikazi told the club he wanted to return to a head coach role, and Pirates have given him permission to take up the opportunity.

He leaves Pirates after being part of a successful period for the club, during which the Buccaneers won nine trophies.

Club chairman Dr Irvin Khoza thanked the experienced mentor for his service and said Pirates respected his ambition to lead a team again.

“Mandla leaves with our gratitude and our blessings. His contribution to Orlando Pirates has been evident throughout his time with us,” said Khoza.

“We respect his wish to pursue this new opportunity and wish him success as he takes on a new responsibility.”

Ncikazi joined Pirates in 2021 after leaving Golden Arrows, where he was head coach.

He signed a three-year deal and was initially announced as part of the club’s technical team.

His arrival followed an impressive spell at Arrows, where he guided the club to a fourth-place finish in the 2020/21 DStv Premiership season.

It was one of the club’s best league campaigns.

At Pirates, Ncikazi worked in different coaching roles.

He was co-coach alongside Fadlu Davids during the 2021/22 season, before later serving as assistant coach under José Riveiro and Abdeslam Ouaddou.

Ncikazi also briefly took charge of the team as caretaker coach in 2025.

His departure marks the end of a chapter at the Soweto giants, where he was part of a trophy-filled period.

Now, he has the chance to return to the pressure and responsibility of leading a club as head coach.

The PSL club he’s set to join hasn’t yet been named.