Chiefs Coach: It’s Time To Deliver The Baby

Kaizer Chiefs assistant coach Cedric Kaze stated that the club’s prolonged struggle is akin to a nine-month pregnancy, emphasizing that it’s time for the team to “deliver.”

Kaze made these remarks at a joint press conference on Wednesday, ahead of Chiefs hosting Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Chiefs have faced a trophy drought since Stuart Baxter’s first tenure with the club in the 2014/15 season, during which they secured the MTN8 and the league title.

The MTN8 victory occurred on 20 September 2014 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, where George Maluleka’s well-placed free-kick was headed in by Tefu Mashamaite against Pirates at the iconic Durban venue.

That MTN8 final was the last time these two Soweto giants clashed in any domestic cup final, prompting Pirates assistant coach Mandla Ncikazi to suggest that Chiefs are the favorites entering this competition due to that history.

“We fully understand and share the frustrations of the fans,” Kaze acknowledged. “But as we approach this game, and I believe the ladies will agree, after nine months of pregnancy, it’s time to deliver. The entire family needs to be present on the day – everyone who loves the club must show up. That is my only advice to them.”

Meanwhile, Mdu Shabalala has faced significant criticism from Chiefs supporters following their league match loss to Pirates last weekend. Shabalala’s attempted reverse pass was intercepted by Pirates, leading to Mohau Nkota’s perfectly weighted pass for Evidence Makgopa to score the equalizer.

Pirates ultimately won the game, coming from behind with Relebohile Mofokeng combining effectively with Deon Hotto for the winning goal.

“Regarding Mdu Shabalala and the other young players, I don’t believe we lost the game against Pirates because of Mdu or any other player,” Kaze explained.

“We lost because we didn’t do enough collectively to win. This applies to both the starting players and those who came off the bench. We have thoroughly analyzed our strengths and weaknesses from that game this week.

“We recognize Shabalala’s contributions this season, particularly at the beginning, highlighting his instrumental role and his quality. We believe that in these difficult moments, we need to be there for those young players. We believed that they learn whatever happened on the field going forward.”