Chippa United’s head coach Vusi Vilakazi says defender Bongani Sam, who joined the club recently as a free agent, is regaining fitness and his services will be available in the coming matches.
Vilakazi said the reason they haven’t used Sam was because of a bereavement period. The 28-year-old lost a baby during Chippa’s mid-season training camp between December and January. As a result, he has just nine minutes in the season under his belt for the Chilli Boys.
Vilakazi described it as an unfortunate circumstance, as the left back was part of his plans for the second half of the season.
Sam had been without a club for the longest time since his departure from Kaizer Chiefs last year. Before joining Chippa in the December period, he trained with TS Galaxy, but that potential move failed to materialise as the club delayed making a formal offer.
At Chiefs he struggled to break into the starting lineup in the left-back position despite being highly rated by then-AmaKhosi head coach Nasreddine Nabi. A long-term injury was the main cause Sam, who was born in the Eastern Cape, fell behind the pecking order.
“He is among the players that were very unfortunate because even in our mini pre-season he was not there because he lost a baby. He was out for three weeks,” Vilakazi said.
Chippa United will face Marumo Gallants at Buffalo City Stadium on Wednesday evening (7pm)
“He has just started to come back now. We need to condition him to make sure of that. He is fully fit.
“There is a game where he came in as a sub and did very well, so definitely in the coming games he will get a chance. He is a good player, and we are sure when he gets the chance, he will grab it.”
Chippa United will face Marumo Gallants at Buffalo City Stadium on Wednesday evening (7pm).
It will be another push for them to move closer to the top bracket of the log. They currently have 19 points, and their opponents, Gallants, have 15.
In the reverse fixture in Bloemfontein in October, it was Gallants who walked away with a 2-1 victory. But Chippa were a different side at the time and were having troubles off the field with the chopping and changing of coaches.
They will be a different kettle of fish this time around. Gallants are the ones dealing with troubles outside the field of play. They will come into the game without a head mentor, as their coach Alexandre Lafitte was suspended for “issues relating to a failure to comply with contractual duties”.
Chippa will hope to take advantage of Gallants’ destabilised camp and register another victory in East London.
Last time they visited Buffalo City three weeks ago, Chippa beat Richards Bay.
The Chilli Boys are yet to be beaten in the league in 2026.
Daily Dispatch
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