Pirates set to reject Richards Bay outcast [update]

*Note: this is an updated article on Zungu and Pirates

Zungu has been on the books of Richards Bay FC since the beginning of the season, having previously battled to gain much game time at Pirates since his arrival from Stellenbosch FC in January 2021.

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However, the Buccaneers kept faith in him and hoped he would fight hard to be a regular until his off-the-field issues affected him. Yet in March 2022, Zungu was suspended by Pirates after a charge of assault was opened against him.

He remained suspended until the end of the 2021-22 season, and a decision was then taken to loan him out to Richards Bay.

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Yet off-field issues have once again come back to haunt the once highly-regarded player, who has been dismissed from the KZN club, and it was initially thought that he would be sent back to Pirates sooner than expected.

However, his agent Mike Makaab has now revealed that the Soweto giants are not interested in bringing Zungu back into the mix.

“He [Nkanyiso Zungu] is not going back to Pirates, his contract with Pirates has come to an end,” Makaab told Gagasi FM, as quoted by FARPost. “They had the option to extend his contract, which they haven’t exercised, so at the end of June [2023], Zungu will be a free agent.

“As I said, the most important thing is to give him the right sort of support and advice. And for his family and close friends to do the same thing.”

Earlier this month it was revealed why Richards Bay had opted to release him.

“The chairman decided to release him two weeks ago, Zungu had off-the-field problems. But the situation became worse after the Nedbank Cup last 32 lost against Sundowns,” the source within the club told iDiski Times. “Club image is very important, it had to be protected. I just hope he has learned his lesson.”

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NKANYISO ZUNGU REVEALED SUFFERING FROM DEPRESSION AT ORLANDO PIRATES

Zungu previously dropped a bombshell about his struggles at Pirates, saying a lot was happening behind the scenes and in his personal life.

“Sometimes things happen, you get a lot of frustration and end up having depression, which makes you do things and I don’t want to talk about it, for now, it is personal but now I’m okay and want to play football,” Zungu said during an interview in the middle of last year.

“Besides not playing football, there were a lot of things that were happening in my life personally which caused the depression but I don’t want to talk about it. What I’ve learned at Orlando Pirates, as a player, you have to work hard, be disciplined, always understand your role, always be professional, respect yourself and others around you, always play for the badge, not for yourself,” added Zungu.

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