Chabangu flies out of Birds' nest

Lerato Chabangu has signed a pre-contract with Bidvest Wits for next season, ending his five-year stay with Moroka Swallows.

The 29-year-old will join Gavin Hunt's ambitious side having opted not to renew his contract with The Birds.

Swallows CEO Leon Prins told Sowetan he hoped to retain the services of the former Bafana Bafana international, but those hopes appear dashed.

"I would definitely like to keep him, there is no doubt about that," Prins said.

"But all I can say now is that he is giving his all for the team. He is fully focused on Swallows and helping us in this relegation battle."

Chabangu has had a roller-coaster ride of a career with well-documented off-field problems.

Having played for the juniors at SuperSport United, he made his professional debut with University of Pretoria in the National First Division before joining Mamelodi Sundowns in the 2004-05 season.

There he remained for the next six campaigns, bar a loan spell at SuperSport which netted him a PSL winners medal in 2008-09 as he helped Hunt's team to the championship.

But the following year he barely featured at all for Sundowns, and looked consigned to the scrap-heap as off-field issues saw him sidelined.

While at Sundowns, he won the league championship in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, the latter under coach Gordon Igesund, and scored the winner in the 2008 Nedbank Cup final.

After being dumped by Sundowns, Swallows took a chance on him and was revived undery Igesund.