Mandla Ncikazi has returned to Lamontville Golden Arrows as head coach, with the Durban club turning to a familiar figure in an attempt to revive their struggling Premiership campaign.
Arrows announced Ncikazi’s appointment on Thursday through their social media channels, following confirmation that they had parted ways with Pitso Dladla with immediate effect.
The change comes after a difficult opening to the 2026/27 season, in which Abafana Bes’thende managed only one victory in their first eight league matches. Ncikazi’s immediate task will be to restore consistency and lift a side whose performances have fallen short of expectations.
His appointment brings back a coach with deep roots at the club. Ncikazi spent more than 15 years working within Arrows’ structures, including their development system, before taking charge of the senior team.
His first spell as head coach, during the 2020/21 campaign, proved particularly successful. He guided the KwaZulu-Natal side to fourth place in the league, one of the finest finishes in their history, before leaving in 2021 to join Orlando Pirates.
Ncikazi subsequently gained valuable experience at the Soweto giants, working as an assistant coach and briefly as a co-coach while contributing to a period of trophy-winning success.
READ: Orlando Pirates confirm Mandla Ncikazi’s departure amid links with Golden Arrows
That experience will be important as he returns to a club he knows intimately, although the challenge facing him is immediate. Arrows need to arrest their poor run of results, improve their attacking output and rebuild confidence within the squad.
For the club, Ncikazi’s return offers familiarity and continuity at a time when a change of direction has become necessary. His previous success also provides a benchmark for what Arrows can achieve under his leadership.
For Ncikazi, meanwhile, the appointment represents an opportunity to return to the forefront of top-flight coaching and recreate the momentum of his first tenure.
The priority now is to translate that history into results, with Arrows needing a significant improvement if they are to meet their ambitions for the season.