“He Has Not Signed Yet”: Why Ex-Chiefs Star Is Sidelined At Siwelele
Siwelele coach Godfrey Motsoeta has provided an update on Happy Mashiane’s situation at the club, confirming that administrative matters are delaying the defender’s availability.
Mashiane was released by Kaizer Chiefs at the end of last season and has been a free agent since.
Siwelele began assessing his services in September after he started training with the club, having previously failed to make an impression at Stellenbosch FC under coach Gavin Hunt.
However, Mashiane is already familiar with Siwelele, having spent last season at the club on loan from Chiefs alongside Samkelo Zwane. Neither player managed to secure regular game time under then-head coach Lehlohonolo Seema.
Motsoeta confirmed that Mashiane is still training with the team while the club works to resolve the outstanding administrative issues. However, the defender remains unavailable for selection as he has yet to sign a contract.
“There are still some administrative issues that need to be resolved, but he is working hard,” Motsoeta said.
“These are matters being handled outside the training environment. He is still training with us while those issues are being sorted out.
“At the moment, he is with the team but is not available to play because he has not signed yet. Everything is being dealt with administratively.”
Meanwhile, Motsoeta has turned his attention to Siwelele’s upcoming Carling Knockout Cup quarter-final against Kaizer Chiefs at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Sunday, expressing his excitement ahead of the encounter.
Siwelele will be looking to avenge their 3-2 defeat to Amakhosi in their Betway Premiership meeting in September. That result ultimately led to the departure of coach Lehlohonolo Seema, who was replaced by Motsoeta.
Motsoeta believes all the remaining teams in the competition pose a significant challenge and views the clash with Chiefs as an exciting opportunity for his players.
“If you look at the eight teams that were left in the competition, there wasn’t a team you could say you wouldn’t want to play against,” he added.
“All the teams are very competitive, so we look forward to this match, especially playing against Kaizer Chiefs, a team with a huge supporter base across the country.
“Wherever they play, we know their supporters will come out in numbers. It’s also a game our players are looking forward to.”
