Aug, 27 2025
The most talked-about transfer in South African football this week isn’t a big-money move. It’s a homecoming. Orlando Pirates have sent Monnapule Saleng on a season-long loan to newly promoted Orbit College, the very club where he first introduced himself to the professional game. Fans are split. Some feel Pirates should have fought harder to reintegrate him. Others think this is the reset he badly needs after a six-month spell without a minute on the pitch.
For Orbit College coach Pogisho Makhoye, it’s personal. He discovered Saleng eight years ago, worked with him for three seasons, and never really stopped believing. He described the winger as “like a son,” and you can hear the pride in his voice. He pushed Orbit’s hierarchy to make the approach, and he got his wish. If all goes to plan, Saleng will be back in training in Rustenburg this weekend, with a formal unveiling expected soon after.
Why did this happen now? Saleng’s last appearance for Pirates came in December 2024, in a CAF Champions League clash against Al Ahly. After that, silence. The club never publicly explained his absence. No injury statement. No tactical note. Just a dead end. For a player of his profile and pace, that kind of layoff is brutal. Match sharpness fades. Confidence dips. By the time the current pre-season rolled in, a loan looked like the cleanest way to get him playing again.
Pirates are stacked in wide areas and in the front line. That depth helps in a long campaign, but it can trap a player on the fringes. A season at Orbit gives Saleng something that minutes on the bench never will—rhythm. Weekly football. Real pressure. The space to make mistakes and then fix them on the field, not in training drills. It’s also a clearer measuring stick for Pirates: if he flies, they’ve got their man back with momentum; if he doesn’t, the picture for 2026 becomes easier to read.
Why Orbit wants him, and how they plan to use him
Orbit College aren’t just ticking a sentimental box. They’ve just climbed into the Premiership, ending a seven-year top-flight drought for North West Province since the days of Platinum Stars. That’s a big badge to wear, and the step up hits every aspect of the club: squad depth, travel, matchday operations, and media attention. Bringing in a winger with top-flight experience is not a luxury—it’s survival planning.
Makhoye knows exactly how to plug Saleng in. Expect him to start high and wide, attack the fullback, and cut in when the space opens up. He isn’t just a straight-line runner. He stretches defenses, makes clever movements off the ball, and can draw fouls in dangerous areas. Orbit’s young attackers will learn from that—how to time a press, when to isolate a defender, and how to turn broken play into chances.
There’s also the leadership piece. Newly promoted teams often wobble after conceding early or going behind in tough away games. That’s where experience matters. Saleng has felt big-match pressure at Pirates and with the national team. He knows how to ride out a bad 15 minutes without the game slipping away. If he can pair that with a run of fitness, Orbit’s survival chances grow quickly.
Infrastructure is another subplot. Orbit’s home base, Olympia Stadium, needs work to meet top-flight standards. Plans are advanced to use Royal Bafokeng and Mabatu as alternative venues while refurbishments are underway. Government support has been pledged. None of that wins points on the table, but it matters. Stability off the pitch helps players breathe on it. For a winger looking to rebuild, routine—same training slots, predictable travel, good pitches—can be the difference between stop-start and full throttle.
What this means for Pirates, Bafana, and the bigger picture
From Pirates’ side, a loan suits all parties. His contract remains with the club, and they get to see him in real matches without the pressure of squeezing him into a crowded matchday squad. It’s a low-risk bet with a clear upside if he explodes. If he lights up the league for Orbit, Pirates get back a sharper, more confident player who has carried a team under pressure. If it doesn’t click, they have clarity ahead of the next window.
The national team angle is obvious. Hugo Broos has been blunt about selections: if you’re not playing, you slip down the pecking order. With the next continental window approaching, minutes matter. Saleng doesn’t need to reinvent himself to get back into that conversation. He needs to be fit, force defenders to panic again, and put up steady numbers—chances created, entries into the box, and end product over a run of games.
The reception among supporters has been noisy. Some Pirates fans feel a player with his ceiling belongs nowhere but Orlando. Others see the bigger picture: last season stalled, and match fitness doesn’t come from warmups. On the Orbit side, the mood is electric. A local favorite returning as the province steps back onto the big stage? That’s a rallying point for Rustenburg and beyond.
What should we expect next? First, a fitness check and a steady reintroduction in pre-season sessions. Makhoye will want to see how quickly Saleng’s sharpness returns. Then, a likely early-season debut, especially if the fixtures hand Orbit a chance to counter against aggressive opponents. The coaching staff will manage his minutes at the start—no need to blow the engine in August and pay for it in November.
There’s also a mentorship role brewing. Orbit’s academy and first-team fringe players will watch how he trains, how he prepares, and how he responds to being kicked around by seasoned Premiership defenders. That rubs off. For a new top-flight club, raising the floor of the squad can be as important as headline brilliance.
Beyond one player, this move is a win for North West football. When a province goes years without a team at the top, the pipeline clogs. Scouts stop coming as often. Kids drift to other regions. Orbit’s promotion changes the map. Having a name like Saleng on the team sheet puts more eyes on the province. That can spark better deals, more friendlies, and fresh pathways for local talent.
There’s still mystery around why the Pirates chapter dimmed in the last six months. That part may stay behind closed doors. What’s clear is the opportunity in front of Saleng now: play every week, carry a team that needs him, and make it impossible to leave him out of bigger squads again. The stakes are real, the storylines are clean, and the first touch back in Orbit colors will say a lot about how fast this comeback can move.