Ntsikelelo Nyauza says his departure at Orlando Pirates was an unexpected one but he took it like a man.
Nyauza said he was not going to stay at Pirates forever and the club had to refresh the team, as he was released at the same time as long-serving member Happy Jele during the off season.
Nyauza spent nine seasons at Pirates, joining them from Roses United ahead of the 2013-14 season.
In his first season at Pirates, he won the Nedbank Cup and had to wait for seven more years later to add another trophy in the 2020-21 season which was the MTN8.
He was the runners-up in the league title three times, including two Caf Confederation Cups, with the latter coming last season.
Despite starting 19 of the 20 league matches last term, Nyauza was let go by Pirates, who then signed Nkosinathi Sibisi and Thapelo Xoki from Golden Arrows and AmaZulu respectively.
“I was not hurt, football is a business,” Nyauza told iDiski Times. “They needed to change, like any other team. Royal AM let go a lot of players, AmaZulu let go a lot of players, Stellenbosch let go a lot of players, its business.”
Nyauza, unlike Jele, has since found a new home, joining newbies side Richards Bay.
The 32-year-old has started the last three matches for Bay, scoring in a 2-1 win over Stellenbosch FC last weekend.
Nyauza showed calm presence when Bay beat Royal AM 1-0 on Wednesday, showing his experience as the home side came back strong in the second half but could not find an equaliser.
That win saw Bay go top of the DStv Premiership for 24 hours, as Mamelodi Sundowns replaced them when they snatched a late winner over a sorry Chippa United on Wednesday.
Having defeated two teams – Stellies and Royal AM all away, this should raise eyebrows as both sides finished in the top four last season.
Royal AM finished third while Stellies fourth. Both teams at home last season were difficult to break down, losing two each apiece.
With Bay now lying second on the table level on 13 points with Sundowns after seven matches, can Richards Bay dream big here?
“We will take one game at a time,” said Nyauza. “We can’t count chickens before they are hatched.
“You can see this is a new team in the DStv Premiership and I need to mentor them because I was mentored by Siyabonga Sangweni, Lucky Lekgwathi when I was at Pirates. So I need to give that information that they gave me.”
