Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has explained the notable absences of Tshegofatso Mabasa and Kamogelo Sebelebele from the matchday squad.
Mabasa has been in and out of the squad since Ouaddou took over the coaching role at Pirates ahead of the 2025/26 Betway Premiership season, while Sebelebele had a promising start to life at the club following his arrival in July 2025.
The Pirates goal-poacher, Mabasa, has missed a handful of matches at Pirates, with Ouaddou seemingly preferring Yanela Mbuthuma and Evidence Makgopa to lead the striking force.
In the current campaign, ‘Sniper’ has made nine appearances across all competitions, scoring four goals and providing one assist. The former Bloemfontein Celtic forward missed the last four domestic matches for Pirates, and he last featured on the 4th of October in the Carling Knockout Cup Round of 16 against Siwelele FC.
WHAT OUADDOU SAID ABOUT MABASA AND SEBELEBELE
Meanwhile, Sebelebele has also missed the last two league matches against Mamelodi Sundowns and Golden Arrows. The pacey wing-back has had a decent start to his career at Pirates after scoring three goals in 14 matches in all competitions. Sebelebele arrived at Pirates in the off-season from TS Galaxy, where he established himself as one of the best players in the PSL.
Ouaddou has addressed the absence of Sebelebele and Mabasa, stating that the two players are not injured; it’s just a squad rotation.
The Tembisa-born utility player, Sebelebele, introduced himself to the Pirates fans with two goals in the first-leg and second-leg of the MTN8 semi-final. The Sea Robbers went on to win the trophy, making it four titles in a row.
“He’s part of the group [Mabasa], I can tell you that we have a lot of players and we try to select the players regarding the opponents and profiling our players,” Ouaddou said. “About Sebelebele, he’s not out of the team; he’s just resting, but he’s not out of the team.”
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