Orlando Pirates have announced the departure of assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi to take up the head coach role with a Premier Soccer League club.
Ncikazi had been absent from the Pirates bench in recent games, with the club confirming he had undergone knee surgery.
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There had been rumours of a fallout between Ncikazi and head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, however, the latter dismissed those claims as false in a press conference on Thursday.
Just a few hours later, Pirates confirmed Ncikazi’s exit after the coach had expressed his wish to pursue a head coach role, understood to be with Golden Arrows.
“Orlando Pirates Football Club confirms that Assistant Coach Mandla Ncikazi will be leaving the Club to take up the Head Coach position at a team in the Premier Soccer League,” read a statement.
“The move follows discussions with management this morning in which Mr Ncikazi expressed his wish to pursue the opportunity to lead a team again. The Club has given him its blessing to do so.
“Mr Ncikazi departs with 9 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. Throughout this period he represented the Club with distinction.”