Richards Bay FC Coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi to Remain in Charge for Upcoming Season

The contract of Richards Bay FC coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi is set to expire at the end of the month and the club’s chairman and coach have both discussed what lies ahead.

Vilakazi successfully secured the club’s position in the Premier Soccer League as Natal Rich Boyz emerged victorious in the PSL Promotion Playoffs.

In what was the final match of the playoffs, the Zululand-based side concluded its challenging 2023/24 season on a high note with a resounding 4-0 victory over Maritzburg United on Wednesday afternoon.

After the game, the club’s chairman, Jomo Biyela, made a significant statement hinting that Vilakazi would be back as the head coach of the club in the upcoming season.

He went on to say the club would support the coach rather than “chase him away”.

“The reality says, why fix it if it’s not broken?” said Biyela. “We will sit down with him and see how to make it a point that we finalise some of the things that we have to discuss.

“But there’s no reason [for him to leave]. That’s another problem we have, following names, not coaches or people who can do work.

“I think we have learnt our lesson; why fix it if it’s not broken? He has done well; he took us from 12 points to 30 points with the very same players.

“Ours is to support him. We can’t just chase him away now that we are safe, then we act big.”

Vilakazi mentioned he’s finally settled at Richards Bay after moving around a few times last season. However, he says his future would depend on the negotiations between him and the club.

Following his departure from Golden Arrows, he joined Chippa United for a brief stint before he was appointed by Richards Bay, initially as Kaitano Tembo’s assistant. The club roped him in as head coach after Tembo’s sacking.

“Definitely [feeling settled], but we still have to sit down and talk with the chairman, obviously,” said Vilakazi. “My contract has ended but we will sit down and see. He did say a statement that if it’s not broken, why fix it?

“But that will depend on talks we have, the negotiations that we will have with him and also try to align the team in terms of personnel to see who can we bring or release and stuff like that.”