Football coaching in South Africa continues to be on the rise for some, with Mabhuti Khenyeza making notable progress at Golden Arrows.
Since being appointed in April 2022 as a co-coach alongside Vusumuzi Vilakazi, Khenyeza has enjoyed notable success with the KwaZulu-Natal club.
Following Vilakazi's unexpected departure in September, Khenyeza has carried the hopes of Abafana Bes'thende on his own, with the team yet to lose a match under his guidance.
Arrows have won three and drawn one match in the league since Vilakazi went solo in leading the team.
The side has also reached the quarter-finals of the Carling Knockout where they will face neighbours AmaZulu at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday evening.
Arrows are third on the log and behind SuperSport United in the race to challenge defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns to the title.
A lot has been said about Khenyeza as some argued that he lacked coaching qualifications, but Jacob Sakala who coached the former striker at some point in his career, sings his praises.
The Good
"Coaching is a God-given talent and a perfect example of someone who's got such talent and showing it right now is Mabhuti Khenyeza. Mabhuti is the first person who comes to mind for me when the topic of up-and-coming coaches comes up," said Sakala.
The Bad
"Coaching is a calling and not everyone can just wake up and decide to get into coaching. Looking at (Molefi) Ntseki, he has been around, and he's got all the papers (coaching qualifications), but things didn't work out for him (at Kaizer Chiefs). Mabhuti Khenyeza doesn't have those but is using the knowledge he gathered from working with all the top coaches he worked with in his professional career. Mabhuti is proving that he was born to be a coach and having worked with different top coaches in the field, he is combining that with talent to work for him on his journey to becoming a top coach himself. I coached Mabhuti and he was also coached by Muhsin Ertugral and several other coaches and he is using the knowledge he gained from all these coaches to work to his advantage in this new field to him of coaching. Golden Arrows is a club that is known for their culture and a unique way of playing and he has fitted perfectly there to take it forward. It's a culture that is never lost and Mabhuti understands that very well," the coach said.
The Ugly
"The culture and identity of a club should never be changed unnecessarily and it's important for teams to understand that. That's the difference between Golden Arrows and Chiefs, for example. That's where a club like Chiefs are probably losing it... somebody comes in and tries to introduce his own philosophy and way of doing things and that doesn't work. Look now that Cavin (Johnson) is at the helm, it means that he may come with his own way of doing things but let's give him a chance," concluded the veteran coach.
Can Khenyeza lead Arrows to challenge Downs in title race?
