Ncikazi was officially confirmed as the new Arrows head coach last week after leaving Pirates, where he was part of the technical team that won a domestic treble last season.
However, he was not on the bench on Saturday when Abafana Bes’thende thrashed Chippa United 4-0 to secure their place in the Carling Knockout quarter-finals, with Makhanya taking charge of the team.
Makhanya welcomed the opportunity to work alongside Ncikazi, highlighting his familiarity with the club, its players and the surrounding football environment.
“Coach Mandla is a top, wonderful human being. We are going to learn a lot from him, all of us,” Makhanya said, as quoted by Sportswire.
“The technical team, the players; he comes with a lot of pedigree. He knows the club, he knows the players, and he knows this area.
“From this performance on Saturday and this result, we are moving forward with a lot of confidence and self-belief for the players, because it is very important that the players now have belief in themselves with this performance and the result.”
READ: Carling Knockout: Golden Arrows cruise into quarter-finals with emphatic win over Chippa United
Makhanya also reflected on his own opportunity to lead the team, joking about being in charge before explaining how much he values his current role.
“I’m doing the job now,” he said with a laugh.
“We are in football, I am a coach. You work, you learn, that is all it is. It is a great opportunity for me to be at Golden Arrows, in this role. It is a great institution; it has produced many players and many coaches. It is fantastic to be here, I’m enjoying my role.”
The Arrows assistant also credited the lessons he had learned from experienced coaches, including ex-Arrows coach Pitso Dladla, stressing the importance of remaining humble and willing to learn.
“I learned a lot from coach Pitso. You learn a lot from everyone. Everyone has different experiences, everyone has travelled their own journeys,” he added.
“When you are just humbled and pay attention, you learn a lot from everyone. Nothing will change; I will learn a lot from coach Mandla and learn a lot from players also, and that is the beauty of football.”
Ncikazi will now turn his attention to his first match in charge, with Arrows set to face local rivals AmaZulu FC in a highly anticipated Betway Premiership Durban Derby at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.