USAZIMISELE ukulwela ijezi kwi-Orlando Pirates uLesedi Kapinga, olizwa ngendaba ijezi kweZimnyama.
UKapinga ujoyine iPirates emuva kokwenqaba ukusayina inkontileka entsha kwiMamelodi Sundowns ekupheleni kwesizini edlule.
Ufike kweZimnyama wabhekana nobunzima bokuthola isikimu ngaphansi komqeqeshi uJose Riveiro. Ngesikhathi eseqala ukusithola uhlaselwe wukulimala. Ezinyangeni ezedlule, uRiveiro ukuqinisekisile ukuthi uKapinga useluleme ngokugcwele. Nokho uvalwe unyaka ka-2023 engabonakali esikimi. Njengoba kuvulwe iwindi likaJanuwari lokubhalisa abadlali lePremier Soccer League (PSL), kuqubuke izinkulumo zokuthi uKapinga ufuna ukubolekiswa. Inkinga yokweqiwa yijezi iyona ebalekise uKapinga kwiSundowns ahlale kuyona iminyaka emithathu.
Imenenja kaKapinga, uMoses Mudau, ithe lo mdlali usafuna ukuhlala kwiPirates.
“UKapinga akayindawo futhi ujabule kwiPirates. Ubekade elimele kodwa manje usebuyele esimweni. Abaphathi nabaqeqeshi bayamthanda. Okwamanje iqembu alikaze liyikhulume indaba yokubolekiswa. Uzimisele ngokuhlala alwele indawo yakhe esikimini sePirates. UKapinga ungumdlali osezingeni eliphezulu futhi uyahlonishwa kwiPirates. Nginethemba lokuthi kusukela uma kubuya imidlalo uzodlala. Abakwazi ukumbolekisa njengoba iqembu lingenzi kahle okwamanje,” kusho uMudau.
KwiPirates, uKapinga ubanga indawo nabadlali abahlukene okukhona kubona uThembinkosi Lorch, Vincent Pule, Kermit Erasmus, Kabelo Dlamini, Karim Kimvuidi nabanye. Emidlalweni yakamuva, umqeqeshi uJose Riveiro uqoke ukudlalisa uLorch noKimvuidi osayine ekuqaleni kwesizini esuka kwiMaritzburg United.
IPirates ivale unyaka ka-2023 isendaweni yesihlanu kwi-log yeDStv Premiership ngamaphuzu angu-25 emuva kwemidlalo engu-16. Emdlalweni wokuvala unyaka, yehlulwe yiStellenbosch ngo 3-2 ikade isihamba phambili ngo 2-0.