Chippa United head coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi has detailed the reasons behind Sinoxolo Kwayiba’s rejuvenation following a disappointing spell with Orlando Pirates during the first half of the 2025/26 season.
Kwayiba rejoined Chippa during the January transfer window after spending the first six months of the current Betway Premiership campaign with the Buccaneers.
The talented attacker struggled for regular playing minutes at Pirates, having signed with the club in July 2025 in a high-profile move. Kwayiba attracted the interest of the Soweto giants after establishing himself as a standout player at Chippa in the past few seasons.
Kwayiba arrived at Pirates amongst other big-name players such as Oswin Appollis, Sipho Mbule, Tshepang Moremi, and Kamogelo Sebelebele; however, he was the one who struggled to make an impact under Moroccan tactician Abdeslam Ouaddou.
In his short stint with Pirates, the 26-year-old only registered four appearances across all competitions without scoring any goals for the club. After a turbulent stay in Gauteng, Kwayiba left Pirates to rejoin the Chilli Boys on a permanent deal.
Since returning to Chippa, Kwayiba has regained his best form after scoring five goals in nine matches in all competitions. The former Pretoria Callies star scored a consolation goal in Chippa’s 4-1 defeat against Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Good Friday.
WHAT VILAKAZI SAID ABOUT KWAYIBA’S FORM AT CHIPPA UNITED
With Kwayiba expected to play a major role in Chippa’s fight to survive relegation, his coach Vilakazi has revealed that they had to work on Kwayiba’s mental state to bring him back to his best form.
“When Kwayiba got back to the team, I had a strong talk with him because I think when he was doing well before he even went to Orlando Pirates, he was scoring goals,” Vilakazi said.
“He was even called up in the national team because of scoring goals, so when he came here, we needed to work on his psychological aspect in terms of trusting himself and trusting the process.
“Sometimes in games that he played, he was not doing very well, but I knew that he’s very clinical in front of goal when he gets a chance, so that will give him the motivation going forward, and I’m happy that he’s scoring. He’s still not the best of Kwayiba we know, but with the confidence of scoring, we will definitely get the best out of him.”
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