Siwelele FC have ended their pursuit of former Marumo Gallants coach Alexandre Lafitte as the club continues to search for a new man to take over the coaching job.
Lafitte emerged as a favourite to take over the hot seat at Siwelele to replace Lehlohonolo Seema, who was fired a few weeks ago.
The Bloemfontein-based side parted ways with Seema after a dismal start to the 2026/27 Betway Premiership season. The unpleasant run of form left Siwelele in the bottom half of the league table early in the campaign.
Seema initially took over the coaching gig at Siwelele at the start of the previous season after the club purchased the top-flight status of SuperSport United.
In his first season, Seema and his charges blew hot and cold, struggling to build a consistent winning run.
After finishing 10th on the log last season, the former Chippa United mentor evidently struggled to turn Siwelele into one of the competitive sides in the PSL, which resulted in his ultimate sacking in the early stages of the current campaign.
TALKS BETWEEN LAFITTE AND SIWELELE COLLAPSE
After Seema’s departure, Lafitte was the hot favourite to take over the job, as talks progressed smoothly between all parties involved. However, FARPost understands that the talks have collapsed despite Lafitte’s willingness to take the challenge at Siwelele.
The 29-year-old arrived in South Africa in July 2025 to take over the job at Gallants, with a strong reputation for winning the league title with Stade d’Abidjan in the 2024/25 season, which ended the club’s 56-year league drought in Ivory Coast.
His agent, Mike Makaab, confirmed the deal to Siwelele fell through after they failed to reach an agreement. “Yes, Siwelele showed interest in Alexandre Lafitte, but we could not reach an agreement. That’s it,” Makaab tells FARPost.
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