Pirates Confirm Lepasa’s Departure

Orlando Pirates have confirmed the departure of forward Zakhele Lepasa.

Sportswire initially learned of Lepasa’s exit on Thursday night and sought confirmation, which the club has since provided.

Speculation about Lepasa’s future intensified when he was listed as unattached in the Bafana Bafana squad for the African Nations Championship (CHAN) on Thursday night.

Further, his absence from the Pirates’ pre-season training camp in Spain strongly suggested he was not part of the club’s plans.

Pirates released a statement saying, “Thank you Lepasa Zakhele for your commitment and contribution to Orlando Pirates. Wishing you the very best in your next chapter.”

The 28-year-old had previous loan spells with SuperSport United and TS Galaxy, where he famously scored the winning goal against Kaizer Chiefs in the 2018/19 Nedbank Cup final.

Despite his past contributions, Lepasa did not play a single match last season due to injury. He leaves Pirates with a record of 15 goals and two assists in 64 matches. During his time with the Soweto Giants, he won the MTN8 four times and the Nedbank Cup once.