Sekhukhune and coach Kaze set for split after internal tensions

Sekhukhune and coach Kaze are expected to end their working relationship after disagreements over the running of the technical department and key football decisions intensified.

Both parties are understood to be unhappy with the way the arrangement has developed since Kaze took charge, with tensions between the coach and the club hierarchy increasing as the season has progressed.

The relationship has reportedly been strained by a series of heated exchanges during technical review meetings. Those discussions, held since the start of the season, are understood to have exposed growing differences between Kaze’s approach and the direction favoured by Sekhukhune’s management.

Three consecutive defeats have added to the difficult atmosphere. Sekhukhune lost twice to Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 semi-finals before suffering a further defeat in the league on Sunday.

However, those results are not regarded as the main cause of the expected split. The underlying problems are instead understood to centre on disagreements about the operation of the technical department and the footballing decisions being made around the team.

Kaze is also understood to have asked Sekhukhune to provide additional resources to strengthen his technical staff. That request, whatever form it took, has not yet been fulfilled.

The former Kaizer Chiefs coach signed a one-year contract when he joined Sekhukhune, with an option to extend the agreement for a further two years. Despite that provision, there is already an indication that Kaze could leave at the end of June even if he remains in charge until the conclusion of the season.

The club must now consider how to manage the immediate period ahead of Saturday’s fixture against TS Galaxy at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium.

Paulus Masehe and Papi Zothwane are possible candidates to assume responsibility on an interim basis. Both were appointed by Sekhukhune rather than by Kaze, although the coach did not object to the options presented to him when he arrived at the club.

Their possible involvement comes as Sekhukhune prepares for a change in the technical leadership structure, with the club and Kaze understood to be moving towards a separation.

The three defeats have therefore compounded, rather than created, the uncertainty surrounding the coach’s future. With discussions over technical support and team management failing to produce agreement, the current arrangement appears increasingly difficult to sustain.

A separate report has also highlighted efforts by Eastern Cape regions to promote unity ahead of the SAFA elections.