Mohafe says Mabuza’s move to Pirates came as a surprise

Former Marumo Gallants head coach Phuti Mohafe says he only became aware of the club’s transfer activity after leaving, including midfielder Bheki Mabuza’s permanent return to Orlando Pirates.

Gallants completed two season-long loan deals with Pirates on Wednesday, bringing in winger Daniel Msendami and defensive midfielder Abdoulaye Mariko. The agreement also saw Mabuza depart the Limpopo-based club and return to the Soweto giants.

Mohafe said he had identified defensive reinforcements during his time in charge but was unable to secure his preferred targets.

“There were certain positions in the team that I still wanted to beef up, but I couldn’t find the targets,” Mohafe told KickOff.

“I wanted a centre-back and a central defensive midfielder.

“The team was conceding goals in every match, so that is where we wanted to beef up. It’s so unfortunate that we didn’t find the players that we were looking for.”

The former Gallants coach added that the arrival of Msendami and Mariko had previously been discussed, although the timing of the deal meant he was no longer involved when it was completed.

“The arrival of Msendami and Mariko, I feel it’s something that was bound to happen because we’ve been discussing it; it’s just that the timing was awkward,” he said.

Mohafe believes Marumo Gallants chairman was attempting to strengthen the squad, but said the agreement with Pirates was finalised only as he was leaving the club.

“I think the chairman wanted to help me with that, but the agreement with Pirates was only reached when I was leaving. I didn’t know if the two players were coming or not,” he said.

“I was not even aware Mabuza was leaving.”

Mohafe described Mabuza as a key member of his team and suggested his importance was reflected in the terms of the agreement, with Pirates loaning two players to Gallants as part of the arrangement.

“He was a very important player in my team. You can see why Pirates sweetened the deal by agreeing to loan two players to Marumo. That tells you how important Mabuza was,” Mohafe added.