Exclusive: Gabadinho’s Richards Bay deal not yet concluded

Despite media reports suggesting that Richards Bay have signed Gabadinho Mhango, Pan-Africa Football has found otherwise.

The Malawian was among the players Marumo Gallants released weeks ago. Since then reports have emerged that top Betway Premiership clubs have been eyeing the Flames star.

However, it is the Natal Rich Boyz who seemed to have pulled a fast one on the striker. Weeks ago, the club’s owner and Chairman Sfiso Jomo Biyela confirmed to Soccer Laduma that they had signed the former Orlando Pirates forward on a two-year deal from July 1st, 2025 to June 30th, 2027.

“Yes, it’s true. We have signed Gabadinho Mhango for two years. As a team we are looking at building a strong team which will compete to finish in the top eight once again this coming season. And to do that we need to have experienced players like him. So we have signed him for two years for now,” Biyela told the news outlet.

However on Saturday, Pan-Africa Football established from Mhango’s agent Mike Makaab that negotiations remain ongoing with finer details of the contract yet to be concluded.

“Yes, we are in the process of concluding a deal with Richards Bay,” Makaab said when asked if Mhango had completed the transfer.

The Malawi Flames star is a PSL veteran, having first arrived in South Africa for the 2012-2013 season to sign for Bloemfontein Celtic. He went on to enjoy a successful career with Bidvest Wits FC where he won the 2016-17 PSL championship. He had spent months on loan at Golden Arrows before completing the move to the Students in 2014.

Mhango’s exploits attracted the interest of Orlando Pirates, with whom he won the 2020 MTN 8 and was top scorer during the 2019-20 PSL season before falling out in 2021 when he left for AmaZulu then Moroka Swallows. He played for the Dube Birds until last season when they sold their Premiership status to Gallants, with whom he scored 5 goals in 25 games across all competitions last season.