On Thursday, Orlando Pirates have agreed to a move with AmaZulu midfielder Makhehleni Makhaula, who has signed a pre-contract with the PSL giants. Despite the agreement, sources indicate that it is unlikely that the 33-year-old will make the switch before the January transfer window closes tonight.
AmaZulu had been willing to allow the central midfielder to make the move, but only if the KwaZulu-Natal giants were to receive some form of compensation for the star, whose commitment to the team has been second to none since joining the side in 2020 from Highlands Park.
Makhaula is currently injured and has been a notable absentee from coach Romain Folz’ line-ups in the last two matches. His existing contract with the Durban-based club expires in June.
The situation is viewed differently to that of Siyethemba Sithebe, who had his season prematurely ended by AmaZulu in January last year after the midfielder signed a pre-contract with Kaizer Chiefs. As a result, Sithebe sat out the second half of the 2021/22 campaign in the stands before making the switch to Amakhosi.
With Makhaula, sources confirm that he is still very much in the plans for Folz and his technical team up to until the end of the season. “He is still in the plans and is one of the players that the club’s head coach (Folz) believes in. Expect him to be back in the team and playing once he recovers from injury,” said the source.
