Mystery deepens over coach Vilakazi’s sudden Arrows departure

In a deleted tweet on Monday, Golden Arrows confirmed receiving a letter of resignation from coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi and that they respected his decision to leave the club.

Vilakazi’s resignation has shocked the football fraternity as Arrows made a promising start to the season, having climbed up to second spot on the DStv Premiership standings.

The timing of Vilakazi’s resignation raised eyebrows as it was not clear what led to it and his next destination remains a mystery.

The 40-year-old was co-coaching with Mabhuti Khenyeza as Arrows garnered an impressive 10 points from five matches to be placed second behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns with a game in hand.

Vilakazi could not be reached for a comment yesterday, but he confirmed his departure on his social media accounts.

“I am very grateful for the opportunity I received at Golden Arrows,” he said.

“Thank you so much Mato Madlala [Arrows chairperson] for all you’ve done and the support you have given me in the 20 years I’ve been in the system. I will forever cherish the moments with Abafana Bes’thende.”

“Kanu”, as Vilakazi is known in football circles, ended a 20-year stay at the club having started as a player in the early 2000s. He graduated from the Arrows Academy more than two decades ago and went on to represent the club between 2006 and 2015 before taking up a coaching role in the junior structures.

After serving as an assistant in 2021, Vilakazi was appointed co-coach of the club alongside former teammate Khenyeza at the beginning of last season.

Arrows chair Madlala could not be reached for comment and failed to respond to text messages, while manager Nonceba Madlala directed calls to team media officer Comfort Thusi, who also could not be reached.

Arrows’ next match is their league fixture on September 16, when they welcome Stellenbosch FC at Mpumalanga Stadium outside Durban.