Orbit College boss dismisses Saleng-coach fallout claims

Orbit College General Manager Matome Kganakga has addressed the relationship between coach Pogiso Makhonye and winger Monnapule Saleng.

Saleng is on a season-long loan at his boyhood club from Orlando Pirates but it has not been a great one month at the club as he is yet to make an impact.

The winger is yet to score or assist since moving to the club and Makhonye expressed his disappointment at the player during the international break when he claimed that he has fallen below expectations with younger players performing better and the team having a good display without him.

Orbit College chairman defends coach

That raised eyebrows as many felt the coach was throwing the player under the bus instead of protecting him and an apology later surfaced on a social media account that appeared to be from the club but Kganakga dismissed it as fake.

The Orbit College boss has now opened up about the issue, saying it was blown out of proportion as there is no bad blood between player and coach and that Makhonye only said that in an effort to get Saleng to raise his game.

“The issue is how people interpreted what the coach said, and this is a parent and child relationship,” Kganakga told iDiski Times.

“I don’t know if people are aware that coach Pogiso raised Saleng. So, it must not be taken out of context. It is his child and his way of addressing him will not be the same as other players.

Saleng, Makhonye enjoy ‘father son relationship’

“We got a lot of interview requests regarding this issue but one thing I can tell you straight is that it’s a father and child relationship, that’s it, so people don’t understand.”

Kganakga maintains the club in making every effort to help Saleng as he was expected to struggle in his first months at Orbit College, having stayed out for long without playing at Pirates.

“It’s a father and child relationship; there is no bad blood between them. And Saleng has made it public that he sees coach Pogiso as a father even before he came to us. It’s just that certain things were blown out of proportion,” he added. “The coaches are working with him and helping him to gain his fitness.”

Saleng was frozen out of the squad at Pirates for most of last season for reasons yet to be known with his last game for the club being a CAF Champions League clash in December 2024.