DURBAN - The sale of Bidvest Wits to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) and relocation the club to Limpopo have forced many well-paid Wits players to look for new homes.
The Limpopo club’s owners have already made it known that they can’t afford their salaries. One of these players is Bafana Bafana defender Sifiso Hlanti’s, whose dream is to play in the Soweto Derby.
Hlanti's agent Sizwe Ntshangase confirmed that his client is looking to stay in Gauteng and his desire is to play for either Orlando Pirates or Kaizer Chiefs.
“Our intention is for Sifiso to stay in Gauteng. Like every player, he dreams of playing in the Soweto Derby.
"But that doesn’t mean that he won’t play for other clubs (if he doesn’t get any offer from the two teams),” Ntshangase said.
Following his impressive exploits at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Egypt last year, Hlanti was pursued by a Major League Soccer (MLS) side in the US, but the move did not materialise as Wits were not entirely happy with the offer.
The diminutive left back has been on the radar of Mamelodi Sundowns for some time, but the club has set their sights on Aubrey Modiba of SuperSport United.
The Brazilians are reportedly willing to break the bank to capture the signature of Modiba.
Hlanti’s wish may prove a little tricky as both Pirates and Chiefs have a number of players competing for the left-back position in their squads already.
Amakhosi have Siphosakhe Ntiyantiya and Yagas Sasman, while the Buccaneers have Innocent Maela, Bongani Sam and Paseka Mako, who can also play as a winger.
Ntshangase said: “Sifiso’s life is in Gauteng and he has a few things needing him to stay in the province.
“Limpopo (where TTM is based) has numerous other dynamics but we will get a direction once the new owners of the club come out and say we want this player and that player and this is what we are putting forward (on the table). We will then take it from there,” Ntshangase stated.
There remains a challenge with Chiefs at the moment as they are still banned from signing new players, although they have appealed against that ban. The matter is now with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Hlanti and company will be looking to close their chapter at Wits on a high note when they face Sundowns in the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup.
They also still have an outside chance of dethroning Chiefs at the summit of the Premiership table. They will face Amakhosi twice when the current season resumes.
Ntshangase emphasised that none of the clubs have made any enquiry about Hlanti at this stage.