Orlando Pirates confirm Mandla Ncikazi exit to Golden Arrows

Orlando Pirates FC have confirmed the departure of assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi, who leaves after a five-year tenure that yielded nine trophies to take the head coach role at Golden Arrows.

Orlando Pirates FC confirmed the departure of assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi on Thursday, with the long-serving staff member set to become head coach of Golden Arrows. The move ends Ncikazi's five-year tenure at the club, a period in which the technical team secured nine trophies.

Chairman Irvin Khoza expressed the club's gratitude for Ncikazi's contribution and backed his decision to pursue a new opportunity as a head coach. Current Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou dismissed any suggestion of a conflict, stating Ncikazi had been recovering from knee surgery and wished him well in his new role. The club gave its full blessing for Ncikazi to take the position at Golden Arrows, which became vacant after Pitso Dladla's departure.

Ncikazi's Pirates legacy

Ncikazi joined Orlando Pirates as an assistant coach in July 2021 and served predominantly in that capacity, including a brief spell as co-coach in 2025. His time at the club coincided with a highly successful era, with the team lifting nine pieces of silverware across various competitions during his stay.

The staff change comes as Orlando Pirates enjoy a strong start to the Premier Soccer League season. The team sits second in the standings with 22 points from eight games, just one point behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns. They have won their last two matches, including a 1-0 victory over African Stars last week, and have scored 19 goals while conceding only once. Their recent form across the last five games shows four wins and one defeat, and they have a formidable goal difference of plus 18. The victory over African Stars on Saturday 17 October was secured by a 78th-minute goal from T. Moremi, who is the club's top scorer this season with four goals in six appearances.

Attention now turns to maintaining that form. Orlando Pirates' next fixture is a key home Soweto Derby against Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday, 31 October. Kaizer Chiefs currently occupy fifth place in the table. This match follows a convincing 3-0 win over TS Galaxy on Tuesday 13 October, where goals came from Boitumelo Lawrence Radiopane, Tshepang Moremi, and Simphiwe Masilela.