Amakhosi to reward starlets after triumphant DStv Diski Challenge season

Dubbing 2025 as “the best year of his coaching career”, having secured a World Cup ticket for the SA Under-17 football team, Kaizer Chiefs’ DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) coach Vela Khumalo has revealed that at least three of his title-winning players will go to the preseason with the first team, ahead of the 2025/26 term.

Chiefs accumulated a record 70 points to secure their first DDC title since the reserve league was incepted in 2011. Amakhosi were crowned champions at the weekend after thumping AmaZulu 5-0 at Dobsonville Stadium.

“Players like Matlaba [Kabelo Nkgwesa], [Thulani] Mabaso, Takalani [Mazhamba] will go to the preseason with the first team,” said Khumalo, who also doubles up as Amajimbos coach, adding that he expects some of his youngsters to join other PSL teams to play top-flight football.

“We’re not necessarily saying we’re promoting them, but we’re saying if the first team can just take them for the preseason and do their own assessment. You’ll see others in different PSL teams, whether on loan or permanently.”

Last month, Khumalo guided Amajimbos to the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals, where they lost to hosts Morocco. By reaching the quarterfinals, SA booked their U-17 World Cup ticket. The tournament will be staged in Qatar from November 3-27 this year.

“This is by far the best year of my coaching career after qualifying the U-17 for the World Cup and now winning the DDC title. This tops winning the Cosafa Cup with the U-17 national team,” Khumalo said.

For their DDC triumph, Khumalo credited keeping the core of the team intact for the whole season, whereas they struggled in the past when players were promoted.

“More than the talent that the boys have, it was keeping the same team through the season that helped us win the title. In the past three seasons that I’ve been here, we were promoting players to the first team, so that on its own was a disturbance to our team. You remember your Mdu [Shabalala], your Samkelo [Zwane], your [Wandile] Duba,” Khumalo said.

“At some point, we also lost players like Omega [Mdaka] and Puso [Dithejane]. Had we kept those players, we’d have won it a little bit earlier. The rhythm of the team had always been affected by promoting players, but that’s good because we’re a feeder team at the end of the day.”

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