Segolela in line for senior Magesi role after technical shake-up

Former Orlando Pirates winger Tlou Segolela is poised to step into a senior role on the Magesi FC technical team as the recently relegated club reshapes its coaching structure for the Motsepe Foundation Championship.

Magesi, who dropped out of the Betway Premiership at the end of last season, are understood to be planning to move Segolela into the first-team set-up after he spent the previous campaign working with the club’s DStv Diski Challenge side.

With relegation meaning Magesi no longer fields a DStv Diski Challenge team, the club is looking to retain Segolela’s coaching expertise by integrating him into the senior staff. Indications from within the club are that he is expected to work closely with new head coach Kabelo Sibiya and could operate in an assistant role.

New coaching team after relegation

Magesi have already made substantial changes behind the scenes following their drop to the second tier.

Sibiya has been appointed to succeed Allan Freese as head coach, tasked with leading the side in the Motsepe Foundation Championship. At the same time, the club has brought in experienced administrator Morgan Mammila as director of football to oversee broader football operations.

The backroom team has also been bolstered with several specialised appointments. Aubrey Vilakazi has been confirmed as goalkeeper coach, while Nkosinathi Shongwe has been added to the staff as fitness coach. Video analysis duties will be handled by Rene McCarthy.

Segolela, who earned prominence during his playing days with Orlando Pirates, has been gradually building his coaching profile and was involved with developing young talent at Magesi through the DStv Diski Challenge side last season. His expected promotion to the first-team structure is seen within the club as a way of maintaining continuity despite the loss of their reserve-team platform.

Pathway from youth ranks to senior squad

Alongside the technical reshuffle, Magesi are also looking to their own production line for solutions on the pitch as they prepare for life in the second tier.

Several players from last season’s DStv Diski Challenge squad have been promoted to the senior team, reflecting the club’s intention to rely more heavily on its younger talents in the coming campaign.

Among those stepping up is Phuti Tolo, who is believed to have signed a three-year contract with the first team. The length of the deal underlines Magesi’s confidence in the player’s potential and suggests he is viewed as part of the club’s longer-term plans.

The combination of internal promotions, including that of Tolo and other DStv Diski Challenge graduates, plus the anticipated elevation of Segolela to a first-team technical role, signals a broader strategy by Magesi to rebuild using familiar faces already embedded in the club’s structures.

While the club has not yet formally announced Segolela’s exact title, all indications are that he will be a central figure in Sibiya’s backroom staff as Magesi attempt to stabilise in the Motsepe Foundation Championship and plot a route back to the Betway Premiership.