Sekhukhune United coach Cedric Kaze says a loan contract clause prevents right-back Tshepo Mashiloane from facing his parent club, Orlando Pirates, in the MTN8 semi-finals.
Babina Noko host the Buccaneers in the first leg at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday, before the second leg at Orlando Amstel Arena seven days later. Kaze will be pushing to win his first-ever trophy as a head coach in South Africa after being part of the Kaizer Chiefs 2025 Nedbank Cup-winning side as Nasreddine Nabi’s assistant.
He will be up against Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, who is out for his second successive MTN8 crown. He guided the Buccaneers to their fourth consecutive MTN8 title last season, picking up from his predecessor Jose Riveiro, who made it three in a row.
At stake for Kaze is inspiring Sekhukhune to break the Soweto giants’ stranglehold on this trophy. For Pirates, it will be the prestige of extending their record in this competition.
KAZE DESCRIBES TSHEPO MASHILOANE’S ABSENCE AS ‘A VERY BIG LOSS’ FOR SEKHUKHUNE
Kaze has revealed that they will be without defender Vuyo Letlapa, who was injured against Chiefs recently. Mashiloane will also not take part in this game, with the right-back having so far featured in every minute of the four games they have played in the new season.
“I would say Vuyo has not trained since he got injured against Kaizer Chiefs. It’s a very big loss,” Kaze told the media at an MTN8 media event in Fairland – Randburg on Thursday.
“I have to mention as well that we are going to be without Tshepo Mashiloane, who is on loan from Orlando Pirates. In his contract, there is a clause that does not allow him to play against them.
“It’s a very big loss because he is a player who has been important for us since the beginning of the season. But the players that we have should be able to compete; they have to be able to embrace this challenge.”
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