Richards Bay FC Appoint Gabriel As Head Coach

Sportswire has been reliably informed that Richards Bay has appointed Ronnie Gabriel as the club’s solo head coach.

In a significant structural shift, the club is moving away from the co-coaching system utilized over the past two seasons, handing Gabriel sole responsibility of the technical bench.

This appointment marks Gabriel’s first head coaching role in the PSL top flight.

Gabriel is highly familiar with the club’s structures, having worked under previous head coaches Pitso Dladla, Vusi Vilakazi, Kaitano Tembo, and Brandon Truter.

This marks his second major spell with the Natal Rich Boyz; he previously served as an assistant coach under Dladla when the team won promotion to the PSL in the 2021/22 season. Though he left following Dladla’s dismissal, Gabriel returned to the club nearly two seasons ago.

He subsequently formed a three-man coaching setup alongside Papi Zothwane and Siboniso Gumede, notably guiding Bay to their first-ever top-eight finish in the 2024/25 campaign before securing an 11th-place finish in the Betway Premiership last term.

The head coaching vacancy opened up after Zothwane, as a trio of co-coaches, left at the end of last season to join Sekhukhune United, where he will serve as an assistant to Cédric Kaze. While Gabriel steps up to lead, it remains unclear who will fill the vacant assistant coach role.

However, internal sources reveal the club is strongly considering Abram Nteo, who became a free agent on Thursday after parting ways with Magesi FC.

Meanwhile, the club’s recruitment drive is already underway following the departure of Sbangani Zulu to Orlando Pirates. Richards Bay secured centre-back Thamsanqa Ndelu from Mkhambathi FC on a three-year contract, which includes a two-year extension option.

The KZN outfit has also strengthened their defense by signing left-back Siphamandla Gwele from lower-division side Ravens FC on a two-year deal with a further two-year option.