Litha Manzini poised for Lerumo Lions move after Orlando Pirates near-miss

Former Cape Town Spurs defender Litha Manzini is expected to restart his professional career with Motsepe Foundation Championship club Lerumo Lions, with the North West side understood to have moved to secure the 23-year-old ahead of the 2026-27 season.

The left-sided centre-back, who once spent almost two months training with Orlando Pirates, is set to be handed the chance to establish himself in the professional ranks after a stop-start journey marked by missed opportunities and difficult choices.

Soccer Laduma reports that Lerumo Lions are assembling their squad for the new Motsepe Foundation Championship campaign and have identified Manzini as a key defensive addition following his encouraging form in the lower divisions.

Pirates trial that got away

Manzini’s path has been shaped by a lengthy trial at Orlando Pirates under then-head coach Jose Riveiro, which initially looked like a potential breakthrough.

Invited for what was supposed to be a two-week assessment, he impressed the Buccaneers’ technical team sufficiently for his stay to be extended, with a proposed plan that would have seen him develop with the club’s feeder side while also training alongside the first team.

However, after considering the offer and weighing up his options, Manzini chose not to take up the opportunity – a call he has since acknowledged he would make differently.

“I think I should have persevered,” he told Soccer Laduma, describing it as one of the defining decisions of his young career.

Cape Town City move that collapsed

After leaving Pirates, Manzini returned to Cape Town, where his performances on trial with Cape Town City appeared to put his career back on track.

He impressed sufficiently to be offered a contract, only for the proposed move to fall through unexpectedly before it could be finalised. The reasons for the collapse were not disclosed, but the defender was once again left searching for a way into the professional game.

Rather than allowing those setbacks to stall his progress, the former Cape Town Spurs DStv Diski Challenge captain chose to rebuild his confidence and match sharpness with Ubuntu Cape Town, where a positive season drew renewed interest from professional clubs.

Fresh start in the Motsepe Foundation Championship

It is on the back of that spell with Ubuntu Cape Town that Lerumo Lions are now set to provide Manzini with the opportunity he has been waiting for, as they look to strengthen their squad for another year in South Africa’s second tier.

At the time of his conversation with Soccer Laduma, before the Lerumo Lions interest emerged, Manzini spoke of his determination to stay ready for a new chance in the game.

“I still believe my time will come. Football has taught me to be patient and to keep working hard because you never know when your opportunity will arrive… It’s just about staying patient, trusting God’s timing and continuing to work,” he said.

If the move is finalised, Manzini will head into the 2026-27 Motsepe Foundation Championship season aiming to turn that patience and perseverance into a sustained run at professional level with Lerumo Lions.