Chippa will retain their Premiership status, says Bongani Sam

Gqeberha-born Chippa United defender Bongani Sam is optimistic that the club will survive to see another season in the Betway Premiership.

The Chilli Boys are still to face AmaZulu, Sekhukhune United, TS Galaxy, Golden Arrows and Kaizer Chiefs in their remaining league matches.

Following a disappointing 4-1 loss to league contenders and defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns, Chippa rallied to defeat Siwelele 1-0 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. But they were held to a 1-1 draw by Polokwane City in their most recent league match at the Buffalo Stadium in KuGompo City.

Chippa United will be chasing redemption when they meet Polokwane City in the Betway Premiership at Buffalo City Stadium in KuGompo City on Saturday (8pm). In September the Chilli Boys were well on track to securing a valuable point away from home. But in the 94th minute Tholo Matuludi pulled off a smash and grab in broad daylight with a net-bulging header at the Old Peter Mokaba stadium to help Rise and Shine to a 2-1 victory. Chippa left empty-handed and devastated. As the season heads down the final straight, one wonders how meaningful that lost point will be in the team’s top-eight aspirations or their battle to escape the drop zone. The Eastern Cape team are 13th on the log with 23 points in 24 games. They are five points away from the top eight and have the same gap to the team that holds the last drop-zone spot. Moving out of relegation danger will be a priority for United before they turn their attention to hunting down a top-eight spot. Polokwane City under lights at the Buffalo City Stadium will be another great opportunity for them to exact revenge from six months back. That is their mentor Vusi Vilakazi’s viewpoint. In the 57 games Vilakazi has coached across Richards Bay, AmaZulu, Golden Arrows and Chippa, he has only twice played against Polokwane “The primary responsibility is to make sure that the team is not going to relegation and not going to the playoffs. Other things will just be a cherry on top,” Vilakazi said. After enduring a splendid honeymoon phase at the start of the year, not knowing the taste of defeat in four matches, the next four gave Vilakazi migraines. His coaching tactics were trialled and tested as he lost against Mamelodi Sundowns, Marumo Gallants, and Stellenbosch and drew against Magesi. But they managed to bounce back at the right moment after their 1-0 victory over Siwelele on Tuesday. Though Siwelele were more dominant offensively, out of the three chances at goal Chippa had, Sinoxolo Kwayiba hit the bullseye. That clinical execution will be vital again against Rise and Shine, who are inside the top eight. The Polokwane team has been one of the trickiest opponents to play against this season. They maintain a low block and utilise quick transitions with counter-attacks or set pieces to score. Only Orlando Pirates (twice), Kaizer Chiefs, AmaZulu, Orbit College and Durban City have managed to come back with three points. Those teams play a similar structure to Vilakazi. His philosophy at Chippa has been for the team to hold onto ball possession and use his wingers and fullbacks to stretch defences, forcing gaps inside. Sergio Kammies, Bongani Sam, Boy Madingwane, Malebogo Modise, who have occupied those positions in the past few games for Vilakazi, will be key in dismantling the compact Polokwane backline system. In the 57 games Vilakazi has coached across Richards Bay, AmaZulu, Golden Arrows and Chippa, he has only twice played against Polokwane. Both came in the 2023/24 season while he was at Richards Bay: a 0-0 draw in the league and a 3-2 victory in the Nedbank Cup. Click here to join the Daily Dispatch’s WhatsApp channel and get the latest news delivered straight to your phone. Daily Dispatch

They are 13th on the log, having collected 24 points from 25 matches and only seven points clear of automatic relegation and five points from the playoffs. However, such is the congestion on the log that they can still finish in the top eight as they are only five points away from that bracket.

Former Orlando Pirates and Amakhosi leftback Sam said they are remaining in the moment as they approach the business end.

“The team will survive this season, to be honest,” Sam said. “However, we do not want to concentrate too much on the games that we have not yet played; instead we are taking each game as it comes.

“After this break, we are aware that we are playing AmaZulu, so we are currently concentrating on that game.”

After the arrival of coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi, the Chilli Boys went on a seven-match unbeaten run. But the team reverted to its inconsistent league performance.

“I believe we took our foot off the pedal a little bit because we were winning games on a regular basis. After a while we became comfortable and lost points that we could have won if it wasn’t for complacency.

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. Click here to join the Daily Dispatch’s WhatsApp channel and get the latest news delivered straight to your phone. Daily Dispatch

“But now I believe our focus has returned to wanting to win games and accomplish our goals as Chippa United this season.”

Sam, 28, left Chiefs to join Chippa as a free transfer at the beginning of the season. Since joining the team the left-back has appeared in five league games for the Gqeberha team.

Chippa United’s Xolani Sithole dreams of lighting the way for young footballers from Emnambithi, hoping his journey inspires them to chase their ambitions. The determined left back confessed that breaking into the professional league tested his resolve, but he clung to his dream and refused to let go. At home, I was told to focus on my studies. But all I wanted to do was finish matric, satisfy my parents, and then continue with football. “I come from a rural area called Emnambithi in KZN, and people from where I live have that mindset that says, ‘You’ll never go far with football’,” Sithole said. “But, because I was the first person to play professionally in my village, I’ve given hope to the next generation that they, too, can make it someday. “I have a Xolani Sithole Foundation initiative back home — we held our first soccer tournament last year, and I invited a few scouts to come and see the talent that we have. “It hurts to see great soccer talent go to waste; back home, there are players who are even more talented than I am. “So I’m trying to assist those players in getting their big break.” Sithole said his family was initially sceptical of a career in football but eventually warmed to it. “At home, I was told to focus on my studies. But all I wanted to do was finish matric, satisfy my parents, and then continue with football,” he said. “It wasn’t easy juggling schoolwork and football, but I did it and passed my matric, even though my results weren’t what I had hoped for. “After matric, I told my parents to allow me the opportunity to focus on my football career, but after a year of trying, going to trials in Durban and Joburg, nothing came up. “My family called and told me to come back. “Although I was on the verge of giving up, something inside told me that one day I would get my big break. “While I was playing for Happy Heart, a Vodacom League team back home, someone noticed me and approached the chair of Free State Stars to give me a chance. “When I first received the call, I assumed it was a joke, but when they drove from the Free State to my location, I realised they were serious.” “I signed a pre-contract. I had no idea what that meant, and I wasn’t concerned about the money. “All I wanted was to play football and become a professional player. “Free State Stars were playing in the NFD that time. “I played for them; however, later the owner sold the club’s status to Casric Stars FC in 2022.” Sithole said that out of the 24 players signed by Stars, only four were chosen to join the new team, with the rest released. However, in January the next year, he was also dismissed. “I got lucky because, after two weeks without a club, I received a call from Papi Zothwane, who asked where I was, and I told him I was home. “He invited me to join Uthongathi FC, but the same thing happened. The club sold its status to Milford FC. “Three months later, coach Kwanele Kopo approached me to join Pretoria Callies, and from there I followed him to Chippa United.” The 27-year-old player joined the Chilli Boys after being cleared of age cheating charges. Callies and Sithole were charged with misconduct for using Sithole as an underage player in their Motsepe Foundation Championship fixtures. “The entire court case was emotionally difficult to handle, but I knew deep down that I did not cheat. “I had sleepless nights because I worried about what would happen if I lost the case. As the breadwinner at home, my family relies on me to provide for them.” Sithole signed his first PSL contract with Chippa in July 2024. He has appeared in 15 games for the Gqeberha-based club since his arrival. Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

The Chilli Boys play AmaZulu at the Princess Magogo Stadium in Durban on April 25 (3pm).

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