As Orlando Pirates midfielder Makhehlene Makhaula approaches the final
year of his contract, speculation mounts over his future. The 2024/25 Betway
Premiership Midfielder of the Season has missed nearly half of the current
campaign through injury, raising questions about whether the 36-year-old
will earn an extension when his deal expires in June 2026.
Looking back, the Buccaneers have a recent history of surprising departures.
Below are five notable players whose contracts were surprisingly not renewed
over the past decade, listed in order of most recent.
1. Innocent Maela
The former club captain was widely expected to be offered a new deal at the
end of last season. However, at age 33, Pirates opted against an extension.
After eight-and-a-half years at the club, Maela decided to retire from
professional football.
2. Miguel Timm
Timm was an instant fan favorite after joining at the start of the 2022/23
season, becoming a regular starter for two campaigns. However, his playing
time diminished significantly in the 2024/25 season, and the 33-year-old
midfielder was not retained ahead of the current term.
3. Thabang Monare
Monare’s future has been uncertain before. After the club announced contract
talks had “collapsed” ahead of the 2022/23 season, he surprisingly signed a
new two-year deal. That contract was not renewed again following the 2023/24
season, ending his stint with the Buccaneers.
4. Happy Jele
In a statement that marked the end of an era, Pirates announced that veteran
defender Happy Jele’s 16-year stay—the longest in the club’s history—would
not be extended. The club noted that “Happy expressed his intentions to
continue playing football beyond the 2021/22 season, an option that
unfortunately is not available.” He was 35 at the time of his departure in
July 2022.
5. Luvuyo Memela
Many fans believed Memela still had more to offer when his contract expired
at the end of the 2019/20 season. However, a breakdown in negotiations led
to his exit. Memela later explained, “In business, obviously, if two parties
don’t agree, then nothing will materialise. We didn’t agree as both parties,
so we decided to leave it.”
As Makhaula enters the twilight of his Pirates career, history suggests that
even recent individual success does not guarantee a contract renewal at the
Soweto giants.
