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Sports Reporter/Online
ZIMBABWEAN coach Kaitano Tembo was sent packing from struggling South African Premiership side, Richards Bay on Christmas Day in what ranks among the most cruel dismissals in the world of football.
Christmas is supposed to be a time for joy, family and giving. But for Richards Bay coach Kaitano Tembo, 25 December was far from being merry.
Instead of unwrapping presents under the tree, Tembo found himself unwrapping a rather unwelcome surprise from Richards Bay.
Tembo’s inability to move Richards Bay FC out of the relegation zone at the half-way stage of the season with a meagre four wins from 18 games ultimately led to his Christmas Day dismissal.
The former SuperSport United coach Tembo’s tenure at Richards Bay was plagued by inconsistencies. Under his leadership, the “Natal Rich Boyz” won only four games, lost a staggering ten, and managed a mere four draws.
This dismal performance left them languishing in 15th place on the DStv Premiership log.
“Richards Bay Football Club would like to announce the release of the head coach, Mr Kaitano Tembo, with immediate effect,” reads the club statement.
“The club would like to thank the coach for his contribution during this season. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”
Richards Bay are six points above Cape Town Spurs, who are at the bottom of the log standings with a single win in 15 outings.
Tembo, who was appointed head coach at Bay ahead of the 2023/24 season, played his last game at the helm on Saturday as the club lost 1-0 to Kaizer Chiefs in a league clash at FNB Stadium.
One noteworthy highlight of Tembo’s time at the wheel was leading Richards Bay to the semi-finals of the Carling Knock-out Cup, where they unfortunately fell 3-0 to Stellenbosch FC.
Richards Bay announced that Tembo has been replaced by Vusimuzi Vilakazi. The latter steps in as interim coach, tasked with navigating the turbulent waters and guiding the club through this delicate transition period.
“Senior coach Mr. Vusi Vilakazi will take over the first team until further notice.”
However, Tembo’s departure was already on the cards from November when Richards Bay made changes to their technical department on the weekend they beat bottom-placed Cape Town Spurs for only their second league win of the season.
The story of the weekend at the club was actually the sudden arrival of Vusimuzi Vilakazi, who spent two seasons as co-coach at Lamontville Golden Arrows before leaving for a short lived spell at Chippa United.
He was appointed assistant coach at Richards Bay, the club said in a statement.
He was to work under Tembo and given the title ‘senior coach’ although being No 2 to the former Zimbabwe international.
Vilakazi, who turned 41 in October, was appointed co-coach of Arrows, along with Mabhuti Khenyeza, towards the end of the 2021/22 season when Lehlohonolo Seema was fired after a heavy defeat at Mamelodi Sundowns.
Vilakazi, a former player at Arrows, had served as the club’s DStv Diski Challenge coach as well as media officer.
Together with Khenyeza they coached a total of 43 games, including the whole of last season where Arrows finished in ninth place.
Five matches into this season, Vilakazi suddenly left for the job of technical director at Chippa United but lasted only months before quitting last week.
Richards Bay named him to their technical team, just hours after they beat Cape Town Spurs in their DStv Premiership basement battle in Durban.
It was Richards Bay’s first home win in the league this year but they remained second from bottom with nine points from 12 matches.
At that stage, Zimpapers Sports highlighted that there are genuine fears that Vilakazi was being positioned to take over from Tembo, even as early as this season considering that Richards Bay looked for him as they demoted Sboniso Gumede, who was Tembo’s assistant, to the DStv Diski Challenge to work with Sibusiso Msomi.
When Vilakazi resigned as the technical director of Chippa United, Chippa said in a statement that he was taking a post elsewhere showing Richards Bay had made a formal approach and underlining how important they regarded him.
Online Reporter