Chippa United find themselves staring down one of the toughest battles of their Betway Premiership journey — a desperate scramble to climb out of the relegation zone — but head coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi insists the club’s story will not end in disaster. Instead, he believes this moment will become a turning point.
The Chilli Boys suffered their eighth defeat of the campaign on Tuesday, a 2–0 loss to an in-form Orlando Pirates side at Orlando Stadium.
With just one win and seven points collected from 13 matches, Chippa remain firmly pinned to the bottom of the table. Their season has already seen three coaching changes, tactical shifts, and constant pressure from all sides.
"I still maintain what I said from day one — Chippa will never be relegated. People expect miracles when I come into teams struggling at the bottom, but I believe in the potential that these players have," the Chippa coach said after the game.
For Vilakazi, the challenge is as much psychological as it is tactical. He has turned his focus to rebuilding confidence and igniting belief within a side that has shown flashes of promise but lacks consistency.
"We needed to realign a few areas, especially mentally. Once these players believe in themselves, they can deliver," he added.
"We have exciting youngsters like Bonani Asanele who nearly scored on debut. He came straight from the Diski team (DStv Diski Challenge) as their top scorer. That shows the quality we have coming through."
Vilakazi believes youthful energy, renewed confidence, and collective determination can lift Chippa out of danger.
"With this kind of effort and commitment, I’m confident we will fight our way back," he concluded.
Following the loss to the Buccaneers, Chippa stay last on the league standings with only seven points in 13 games.
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