Today’s Orlando Pirates rumour wrap looks at the ongoing chase for Emile Witbooi. Is he an adequate replacement for Relebohile Mofokeng?
Can Pirates raid Kaizer Chiefs to replace Mofokeng?
In light of Rele Mofokeng’s big-money move to Belgium, Kaizer Chiefs might be looking at their squad and seeing where they could extract some transfer value. Young, gifted players are usually the most logical starting point. Out of the entire Chiefs squad, Mfundo Vilakazi, Wandile Duba, and Mduduzi Shabalala arguably have the most potential resale value. Will the board sanction the sale of any of these players? If so, how many? After all, any sale would represent 100% profit. Is Vilakazi someone Pirates could look at as a potential Mofokeng replacement? A move would certainly anger Chiefs fans.
Emile Witbooi is a long-term project
Diminutive in stature, Cape Town City star Emile Witbooi is far from the finished product. However, the 17-year-old is highly thought of in South Africa. City has placed a big price tag on his head, thought to be rising to R20 million, so Pirates will need to think long and hard about how they structure any potential deal for the attacking midfielder born in 2008.
Big changes at Orlando Pirates
In recent campaigns, several high-profile names have left the club. Mbekezeli Mbokazi is with the Chicago Fire in the USA, Mofokeng has joined Royal Union Saint-Gilloise, and Mohau Nkota made the switch to Saudi Arabia in July 2025. Riddled by injuries in the past 18 months, the unfortunate Thabiso Sesane has been released. If you include him, that’s four key first-team regulars no longer in the picture.
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