Orlando Pirates coach backs Yanela Mbuthuma during goal drought

Orlando Pirates coach has backed Yanela Mbuthuma as the 24-year-old forward works through a goal drought. Mbuthuma plays as a centre-forward for the Johannesburg club and is South African.

The coach’s support keeps the focus on Mbuthuma’s role at Pirates despite his current difficulty in finding the net. The available details do not specify the number of matches or appearances involved in the drought, but the issue has become the central talking point around the striker.

Mbuthuma joined Orlando Pirates from Richards Bay during the 2025/26 season. His move followed his spell with Richards Bay, which began after he arrived from an unidentified previous club in the 2022/23 campaign.

The forward remains part of the Pirates squad and is valued at €800,000. That figure reflects his current standing at Orlando Pirates, where he continues to operate in the central attacking position.

Mbuthuma’s path from Richards Bay to Pirates has placed him at a higher-profile club, but the immediate issue is his failure to convert that opportunity into goals. The coach’s backing gives him continued support while he tries to end the drought.

With no match result, league position or recent form sequence provided, the wider effect of the drought on Orlando Pirates’ campaign cannot be assessed from the available information. The confirmed development is that Mbuthuma retains the coach’s backing despite his lack of goals.