Orlando Pirates have confirmed that former interim head/assistant coach Rhulani Mokwena has joined Chippa United for the remainder of the season.
News broke on Tuesday that Norman Mapeza had stepped down from his role as head coach at the club with the side sitting just above the relegation zone.
The Chilli Boys have acted quickly in finding a replacement as Mokwena takes charge until the end of the season.
Mokwena stepped in as caretaker boss following the shock departure of Milutin Sredojevic but struggled for consistent results during his tenure.
The Soweto giants then appointed Josef Zinnbauer as head coach in December, with Mokwena officially placed back in his role as assistant.
@coach_rulani To Join @ChippaUnitedFC
https://t.co/Ks6uzsBRZz
#OnceAlways pic.twitter.com/QoWC1jofU2— Orlando Pirates FC (@orlandopirates) March 4, 2020
Despite his official position, the young tatctician has not been involved with the team at Pirates almost straight after Zinnbauer’s appointment and has been on a educational trip to Europe while also coaching in the lower leagues.
Pirates then confirmed on Wednesday that the young coach will be ‘loaned out’ to Chippa until the end of the season.
‘Orlando Pirates Football Club can confirm that assistant coach Rhulani Mokwena has been seconded to join Absa Premiership outfit Chippa United,’ read a statement on Pirates’ website.
‘Mokwena, who recently returned from an overseas trip which saw him visiting some European football clubs for a benchmarking exercise, joins the Chilli Boys until the end of the season.’
Performance analysts and former interim coach of their MultiChoice Diski Challenge side, Michael Loftman is also set to depart Pirates and link up with Mokwena at the Nelson Mandela Bay outfit.
— Chippa United FC (@ChippaUnitedFC) March 4, 2020
