Chippa welcomes Seema as fifth coach this season

Lehlohonolo Seema was handed the tough task of attempting to guide Chippa United away from the relegation zone when he was revealed as club’s new coach on Monday.

That Seema becomes the fifth coach to take charge of the Chilli Boys this season comes as no real surprise when one considers how often the guard is changed at Chippa United.

He joins the club following the departure of Clinton Larsen, Duran Francis, Norman Mapeza and, most recently, Rulani Mokwena, who was out of contract.

But Seema will be hoping to usher in a new era for the club, who find themselves struggling to keep afloat yet again this season, only three points above the relegation spots.

Seema resigned from Bloemfontein Celtic on Monday morning and minutes later it was announced by Chippa that he had signed a three-year deal with the Port Elizabeth side.

Unfortunately, the club’s supporters will have to wait to hear about Seema’s plans as the media were denied a chance to speak to the new man despite numerous requests to team management, including new general manager Morgan Mammila.

Chippa COO Lukhanyo Mzinzi did offer some words, saying he was confident Seema would help end the club’s continual fight against relegation in the Absa Premiership.

Mzinzi said Seema would be a great help to the club going forward.

“As the Chippa brand we have always believed in being up-and-coming in South Africa. But what is different with coach Seema is that he does not need to prove himself any more,” Mzinzi said.

“He has done well in his previous job with the all the challenges that the club faced. He has proven himself to be an acute technician and he has won difficult matches at Celtic.

“We think that with the direction we want to take the club in, he can only add value to us. We can contribute to his goals but he can also contribute to the success of the club because we are a club battling relegation each and every season,” Mzinzi said after the news broke.

Earlier on Monday, the statement from the club read: “Coach Seema joins the Chilli Boys from Bloemfontein Celtics FC where he put in notable performances and his abilities as a coach at the highest level were evident.

“Chairman of the club Siviwe Mpengesi expressed his support for coach Seema and expressed his confidence in a winning combination between the coach and the ambitions of Chippa United during his tenure.”

Celtic wished Seema well in statement of their own.

“We would like to confirm the resignation of Lehlohonolo Seema as head coach of the club. Coach Seema has been at the club since 2013‚ he added more value to the club and he was a great asset.

“We wish him all the best on his career going forward and future endeavours.”

Seema‚ who captained Celtic during his playing days‚ had been in charge of Celtic on different occasions in the past and worked closely with John Maduka until his resignation.

He leaves Siwelele in ninth place on the standings with 28 points from 23 matches. The Bloemfontein side are also in the semifinal stage of the Nedbank Cup and they are up against Baroka. — Additional reporting by Mahlatse Mphahlele