Dladla Steps Down At Durban City, Set To Join Arrows
Sportswire can exclusively reveal that historic Nedbank Cup-winning coach Pitso Dladla has parted ways with Durban City and is set to be named the new head coach of Lamontville Golden Arrows.
Sources close to the club have confirmed that Dladla has already withdrawn from his technical duties at City, completely bypassing the club’s ongoing pre-season player assessments as he is set to finalize his highly anticipated switch to Abafana Bes’thende.
Golden Arrows were left searching for a new strategist after Manqoba Mngqithi surprisingly vacated his post despite guiding the club to a commendable sixth-place finish in the Betway Premiership last season.
Sportswire has been reliably informed that Mngqithi relinquished his role to join legendary tactician Pitso Mosimane as his primary assistant coach in the new project. Mngqithi’s departure triggered a total technical cleanout at Arrows, with assistant coaches Kagiso Dikgacoi, Marcus Mashilo, and Musa Bilankulu also exiting the club.
The CAF License Conundrum
Dladla wrote himself into South African football folklore last season by piloting Durban City to a historic Nedbank Cup triumph alongside a top-eight league finish.
This remarkable double achievement came during the club’s maiden top-flight season, having only gained promotion to the Betway Premiership at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
While the Nedbank Cup victory successfully secured continental qualification for next season’s CAF Confederation Cup, it also presented a major administrative hurdle.
Crucially, Dladla does not possess the mandatory CAF A coaching license required by Africa’s football governing body to sit on the technical bench during continental club competitions. This licensing impediment heavily complicated his long-term tenure at Durban City.
A Remarkable Caretaker Stint
Dladla originally took charge of Durban City in February on an interim basis following the dismissal of Sinethemba Badela. Remarkably, it was his second caretaker spell of the season; the former Richards Bay mentor had previously stepped in to steady the ship in December after the club parted ways with veteran coach Gavin Hunt.
During his final stint, Dladla oversaw 18 matches across all competitions, recording eight wins, five draws, and five defeats. Despite a late-season slump where a four-match winless run briefly threatened their top-eight status, Dladla ultimately stabilized the team to cross the finish line.
With Mngqithi heading out to align with Mosimane, Dladla now inherits a stable Golden Arrows side, returning to a head-coaching role in a familiar KwaZulu-Natal environment.
