Orlando Pirates find replacement for Paseka Mako?
Two left-backs are not enough at clubs like Orlando Pirates to compete in the Betway Premiership , especially with the CAF Champions League returning to the Orlando Stadium next season.
Paseko Mako has left the club, minus one left-back. According to this report, the Sea Robbers need an addition to compete and cover for Deon Hotto and Yanga Madiba .
Kick Off believes that SuperSport United and Amajita captain Neo Rapoo has been noticed by the Orlando Pirates scouts.
Rapoo, hailing from Lonehill, Johannesburg, made his senior debut at Matsatsantsa in 2022 just after his 17th birthday. Since then, Rapoo has earned 22 games despite a lengthy injury in the winter of 2024.
'Neo is one of the players that the scouts at Orlando Pirates have identified,' Kick Off reported. 'The club has already made inquiries about the availability of the player for next season,' a source added to the outlet.
Rapoo also captained South Africa's U20 team at the Afcon championship in Morocco in May, including a crucial goal against Sierra Leone in Group A.
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Maverick
an hour ago
- Daily Maverick
Proteas inch closer to World Test Championship Mace after Markram and Bavuma batting masterclass
South Africa 138 and 213 for 2 (Aiden Markram 102*, Temba Bavuma 65*, Mitchell Starc 2-53) need 69 runs to beat Australia 212 and 207 (Starc 58, Alex Carey 43, Kagiso Rabada 4-59, Lungi Ngidi 3-38). Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma have batted the Proteas to the verge of history at Lord's against Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. They need 69 runs to clinch the Test mace with two days of action still available to play. Australia, dismissed for 207 in their second innings, set the Proteas a winning target of 282, which in the context of the low-scoring encounter, seemed almost impossible. But the dream is closer to reality after an aggressive response with the bat that has taken the Proteas to the brink of one of South African cricket's greatest achievements. The two most senior South African batters were undefeated at the crease at the close of play on day three, having led the team to 213 for two at stumps, putting on an unbroken 143-run third-wicket stand. Markram is the second South African in this match who will have his name etched into the Lord's Honour's Board at the conclusion of the WTC final, having struck an incredible century under pressure. Zero to hero The opener has gone from zero (dismissed for a duck in the first innings) to hero, carving out an appealing 102 off 159 deliveries, caressing 11 fours on his way to his eighth Test century. Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma, meanwhile, limped his way to 65 off 121 balls, with five boundary fours smacked. Bavuma, while fluent in his strokeplay, had a literal limp caused by a left hamstring strain, sustained while running through for a quick single. It meant the skipper and vice-captain couldn't take any quick singles. Despite that, the pair put on 143 runs for the third wicket in a display of batting of the highest magnitude under extreme pressure. Bavuma's innings was one of courage, skill and supreme commitment to his teammates and his country when they needed their leader to set the tone. What transpired with the bat on day three was a dream for Bavuma. But it was very nearly a nightmare when he edged a Mitchell Starc snorter to Steve Smith at a very close first slip, with a helmet on — as the edges had been falling short all Test match. But instead of pouching the chance, Smith snatched at the ball that flew at him and dropped the ball. Bavuma was on two at the time, and South Africa on 76 for two in the 20th over. The Proteas had also lost Wiaan Mulder in Starc's previous over so would have opened up an end. Bavuma survived and made the most of his good fortune, as the best players tend to do. For Smith, to add injury to insult, he suffered a compound dislocation of his right little finger while attempting the catch. He was taken to the hospital for x-rays. Morning frustration Earlier in the day, Australia's tail wagged to proportions of concern. Starc (58 off 136), in at nine, struck his 11th Test half century to guide Australia from 144 for eight overnight to 207 all out and extended Australia's lead to 282. Kagiso Rabada trapped Nathan Lyon LBW in the third over of the morning — to claim his ninth wicket of the match — but Starc and Josh Hazlewood (17 off 53) batted through the rest of the morning session, putting on 59 runs in their last wicket stand — Australia's second highest partnership in the innings. Hazlewood eventually became Markram's fifth Test scalp as the teams went into lunch with one innings in the Test match remaining, and knowing exactly what was needed to claim the WTC mace. The batting success of Australia's lower order, although frustrating for the Proteas, proved that conditions were finally okay for batting after two days of batters poking and prodding while attempting to get bat to ball. While 28 wickets fell across the first two days; only four fell on day three. Australia bowling coach Daniel Vettori suggested that the lack of cloud cover for the duration of day three's play, as well as the pitch becoming placid (as experts on the playing conditions at Lord's have suggested will happen) assisted the significant drop-off in wickets. In the same vein, Vettori credited Bavuma and Markam's vigil. 'It has been difficult scoring but South Africa made the most of those conditions. But also, it was an exceptional partnership,' Vettori said. 'They navigated the tricky times and then were able to put pressure back on us through their running [and] through their ability to dissect the field. It was a real clinic from those two.'
The South African
2 hours ago
- The South African
Kaizer Chiefs news: Another Congolese attacker
In the past three seasons, Kaizer Chiefs have signed two attacking players from the Democratic Republic of Congo. It started with the striker/winger Christian Saile, and then in January by the lanky winger Glody Lilepo. According to this new report, Kaizer Chiefs now have eyes on a Congolese attacking midfielder named Maxi Ngenzeli from Young Africans in Tanzania. Ngenzeli will not be new to coach Nasreddine Nabi. The Tunisian mentor fine-tuned the goal-scoring midfielder in the 2021/22 season at Yanga. New Orlando Pirates winger: 'I can attack and I can defend' 'At the moment the club has not yet signed some of the players who they want nor those they are looking at,' an insider told Soccer Laduma . 'It's believed that they are spreading the search wide so that they can get the kind of players they really need this season. 'Apparently, Maxwell Nzengeli is one player they are also looking at. Coach Nabi knows him already, and the scouts and recruiters are also believed to have liked him and are looking at the possibility of getting him, depending on the conditions around the transfer. Two PSL clubs in for Sundowns outcast 'The players are expected to return to the club for pre-season training at the end of the month so that they can prepare for the trip to Holland and the team is working hard to have new signings available for the European trip. 'So it's believed that by the first week of July, most of the new signings will be unveiled,' the source added. Orlando Pirates lineup with the new signings Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
TimesLIVE
5 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Aiden Markram's magic edges Proteas closer to WTC victory over Australia at Lord's
Aiden Markram, so talented, so infuriating (because that talent deserves more runs), but on Friday so magnificent. His unbeaten 102 has given the Proteas the right to dream. 69 runs, just 69 runs. It doesn't look like a lot, but Australia will make it look triple that amount on Saturday. But before looking ahead, it is worth looking back and Markram was just sublime on Friday. South African supporters have dreamt of just this kind of knock from the former under-19 captain, from whom so much was and continues to be expected. Here he carved out what is undoubtedly the best innings of his life. A fulfilment of all that natural ability, as he mixed elegance, with guts, to ensure South African can dream. Markram, started so rapidly as South Africa set off in pursuit of 282 set by Australia — at stumps they were 213/2. A century of the highest class from Aiden Markram! 💯🔥 Composed under pressure, fearless in execution, what a time for a knock for the ages. 🇿🇦💪 A phenomenal player rising to the occasion when it matters most. Take a bow, Markram, pure brilliance! 🔥👏 #WTCFinal #WozaNawe … — Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) June 13, 2025 That target that was probably 30 runs more than the Proteas had hoped to chase when they turned up at the ground on Friday morning. Australia's captain Pat Cummins said on Thursday evening that another '30 to 40 runs' on top of the 144/8 his side had overnight, would allow him to set attacking fields when South Africa batted for the final time. That happened, but it also left gaps and with the South African batters showing much better intent than was the case on Wednesday evening, alongside Australia not bowling at the same high standard they did in that period, the runs came quickly. Also the sun was out, and as irritating as the morning session was with Australia adding 73 runs and Starc reaching an unbeaten 58, it showed that the pitch was not as demonic as the first two days. Ryan Rickleton will be miffed that he got out the way he did. His provincial teammate, Wiaan Mulder, will feel the same, especially as he got a start, scoring 27, and sharing a second-wicket partnership of 61 with Markram. The opener, started with a gorgeous cover drive off Starc, building momentum that he was primarily responsible for maintaining through the innings. There were a few characteristically elegant back foot drives too through the covers, but arguably two of the best shots were deft late cuts — one off Starc and another off Beau Webster, the latter going finer to the third man boundary. The celebration of his hundred wasn't as animated as in the past — the was no leap for instance — just a punch of his right fist and a look up to the sky. With the captain Temba Bavuma not out on 65, ignoring the searing pain of a strained left hamstring to help forge a partnership that at stumps was worth 143 runs. Bavuma limped, hobbled and occasionally broke into something resembling a sprint when trying to complete a two after a delicate sweep off Travis Head. It looked bloody painful. It will need more treatment overnight, but you can bet your last rand, he'll be at the crease on Saturday morning. The South African captain's innings was not without luck, the biggest moment arriving early in his innings, when he'd scored just two and was dropped by Steve Smith at first slip off Starc. The former Australia captain was standing much closer to the stumps than is normal — wearing a helmet for protection — and the ball blasted through his fingers. He left the field in agony and was later diagnosed with a compound dislocation of his right little finger. Smith was taken to hospital for X-rays and further treatment. A number of edges have fallen short of slips in the past two days, leading to both sides moving their respective cordons closer to the stumps. Like Smith, Markram also wore a helmet on Thursday night and again on Friday morning as he stood close against the quick bowlers. It was the main reason Marco Jansen, standing at gully, dropped Starc when he had 14, three balls before the close of play on the second evening. By the close of the third evening, South Africa were on top, they can dream.
