Pirates’ assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi jumps ship, heads to another PSL club

This morning, Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou tried to deny that there was tension between assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi and the technical team during a media briefing. But a few hours later, the Buccaneers office made an official announcement that Ncikazi has parted ways with the club.

Pirates say that Ncikazi is leaving to take up a head coach position at a team in the Premier Soccer League (PSL). Ncikazi’s move follows discussions with management on Thursday morning in which Ncikazi expressed his wish to pursue the opportunity to lead a team again. The Buccaneers have given him their blessing to do so.

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Ncikazi has been conspicuous by his absence on the Pirates bench in the last couple of matches. The first time was during the MTN8 final, where the Bucs lost 2-0 to Mamelodi Sundowns in Durban. He was spotted by TV cameras sitting in the VIP hospitality section during the match. It was reported that he had a fallout with Ouaddou, and the club dismissed the rumours as nonsensical.

Previously, the KwaZulu-Natal-born retired footballer coached Nathi Lions, Maritzburg United and Golden Arrows before he was lured to join the Buccaneers in 2021. In his playing days, the muscular Ncikazi was a twinkle-toed attacking midfielder who donned the jerseys of African Wanderers and AmaZulu.

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Ncikazi departs with nine trophies earned as part of the Pirates technical team, where he served predominantly as assistant coach, including a brief spell as co-coach in 2025. The club says that throughout this period he represented the Buccaneers with distinction. Club chairman Irvin Khoza thanked Ncikazi and acknowledged his ambition to return to head coaching.

“Mandla leaves with our gratitude and our blessing. His contribution to Orlando Pirates has been evident throughout his time with us. We respect his wish to pursue this new opportunity and wish him success as he takes on a new responsibility,” said Khoza.

For Ncikazi, the departure is also an opportunity to acknowledge the people with whom he shared his time at Pirates.

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