Siwelele FC head coach Lehlohonolo Seema has opened up on challenges facing Zakhele Lepasa, revealing why the striker struggled for game time at the club in the just-ended season.
Lepasa signed with Siwelele as a free agent after parting ways with his boyhood club, Orlando Pirates, in July 2025.
The forward left Pirates after the expiry of his contract as the Buccaneers opted against offering him a new deal. Lepasa came through the Soweto giants’ development structures as one of the highly rated strikers and made his debut for the senior team in 2019.
The talented attacker went on to spend five seasons in the Pirates’ first team before leaving at the end of the 2024/25 Betway Premiership season.
In the season Zakhele Lepasa was released by the Sea Robbers, he had spent the entire campaign on the sidelines due to persistent injuries that derailed his progress and prevented him from reaching his full potential. During his stint with Pirates, Lepasa scored 15 goals and provided two assists in 64 appearances across all competitions.
After closing the Pirates chapter, the 29-year-old made a move to the Bloemfontein-based side, aiming to get his career back on track. However, he is yet to stamp his authority at his new club.
WHAT LEHLOHONOLO SEEMA SAID ABOUT LEPASA
With Lepasa having only registered three appearances for Siwelele in the 2025/26 season, coach Lehlohonolo Seema has revealed that the goal poacher needed six months to work on his fitness following his injury layoff at Pirates.
“Zakes [Lepasa] is one of the players who is experienced; he is a guy who likes to score goals. He is always positive; he’s got a big heart,” Seema said on Marawa Sports Worldwide most recently.
“And I said to him, it’s been a long time since he has been playing, then I had some talks with him, and he understands, and also his injury didn’t make things easier for him. He has been working hard, and that’s why, after we signed him, I played him in the first game and told him that for the next six months, we’re going to work on him to make sure we strengthen him.
“He worked hard; that’s why in December [2025], he played against Richards Bay FC. But some of the things—like the intensity and how quickly the games are—if you have not adjusted, you’ll struggle. But we had private chats, and he knows where he is and what he needs to do; then we’ll see him back on the field.”
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