Siwelele FC chairman Calvin Le John has confirmed that Lehlohonolo Seema will coach the club’s DStv Diski Challenge [DDC] side, while his former assistant Willem Jackson has left the club.

The pair were suspended at the same time following a 3-1 defeat to Kaizer Chiefs, with Godfrey Mosoetsa subsequently taking charge of the senior team.

However, their futures have taken different paths. Seema will return to work within Siwelele’s development structures, while Jackson is no longer part of the Bloemfontein club.

Addressing supporters at Siwelele’s general meeting on Sunday, Le John confirmed Seema’s new role. “He’s still part of us. Some people will say we have demoted him … He will be our new coach for the DDC, and he will continue,” said Le John.

SEEMA TAKES OVER SIXTH-PLACED SIWELELE DDC SIDE

Seema inherits a Siwelele reserve side that sits sixth in the DDC standings, with seven points from their opening four matches. They have recorded two wins, one draw and one defeat, scoring four goals and conceding two.

Siwelele are level on points with fifth-placed AmaZulu and seventh-placed TS Galaxy, and five points behind leaders Kaizer Chiefs. The appointment takes Seema back to familiar territory following his earlier work in Bloemfontein Celtic’s youth structures.

Before establishing himself as a head coach in the professional ranks, Seema coached players such as Simba SC midfielder Neo Maema, Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Sipho Chaine and Mamelodi Sundowns winger Thapelo Morena. That experience provides a foundation for his new assignment, which will involve preparing young players for the demands of first-team football and building on the reserve side’s start to the campaign.

His reassignment also ends weeks of uncertainty over whether his removal from the senior team would lead to his departure from Siwelele. FARPost previously reported that players had been told Mosoetsa would remain in charge until the end of the season.

That development suggested an extended period without Seema at the helm, although he has now been retained in a different capacity.

Seema oversaw an extensive off-season rebuild, parting ways with more than 23 players and bringing in more than 10 recruits. He now takes on a development brief as Siwelele reshape their coaching structure, with Mosoetsa continuing to lead the first team and Jackson departing.

MOSOETSA GUIDES SIWELELE TO FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON

On Sunday, Mosoetsa guided Siwelele to their first win of the season, beating Polokwane City 1-0 at home. The win takes their tally to six points after eight games.

They are currently in 14th place and hope to keep climbing the table.  But for now, the focus shifts to the Carling Knockout Cup, where they face Polokwane City FC again. Thereafter, they visit struggling Marumo Gallants for a Betway Premiership encounter.