Joel Masutha returns to The Bees after Duncan Lechesa dismissal

The Bees have appointed Joel Masutha as their new head coach, despite earlier denials from club boss Bheki Magunga that the former manager was set to return.

Masutha replaces Duncan Lechesa, who was dismissed following a difficult start to the season with the Mpumalanga club.

The Motsepe Foundation Championship side had previously been linked with Masutha, but those reports were rejected by Magunga at the time. The move has now gone ahead, with Masutha returning to a club he has managed before.

“We are delighted to welcome him back and look forward to working together as we continue to build a competitive team and pursue our objectives for the season,” The Bees said in a statement.

Masutha, 54, was most recently part of the coaching staff at Betway Premiership newcomers Kruger United, where he worked as assistant coach to Abram Mongoya.

He will now take charge of The Bees as they attempt to recover from a poor opening run in the second tier.

The club are 14th in the Motsepe Foundation Championship after winning only one of their five matches. Their other four fixtures have ended in defeat, a sequence that ultimately brought Lechesa’s tenure to an end.

Masutha’s first match in charge will come away to Cape Town City on Sunday, 11 October. It will provide his first opportunity to begin changing the team’s fortunes and lift them away from the lower reaches of the table.