Richards Bay miss out on MTN8 without Mhango

The 2025/26 South African Premiership is complete, with the Orlando Pirates being crowned champions after a season-long battle with the Mamelodi Sundowns. The Pirates wound up with 69 points, edging the Sundowns out by a single point.

Most fans in South Africa can now turn their attention to the upcoming World Cup, with daily reports and betting tips on the tournament available from Bettors.co.za. South Africa are playing in the opening game of the tournament on 11th June against co-hosts Mexico. The fixture is a rematch of the famous opening game from the 2010 edition when Bafana Bafana hosted.

Some club fans, however, will still look back at the PSL season with regret. One of those will surely be Richards Bay, who saw a promising season slip away when star striker and Malawi international Gabadino Mhango had his season ended early with a knee injury.

The club had been pushing for a second consecutive MTN8 spot, with South African and Malawian fans getting behind the team led by Mhango. Unfortunately, those dreams came crashing down in Week 14.

Mid-season injury derails Richards Bay

Gabadino Mhango picked up his Achilles injury during the Gameweek 14 match against AmaZulu FC, with the striker leaving the game in the 27th minute. The Natal Rich Boys would go on to win the game 2-0, ending the weekend in 9th place in the league and just two points off of an MTN8 qualification spot.

Without Mhango, however, results started to slip.

Across the first 14 games with Mhango leading the Richards Bay attack, the team earned an average of 1.21 points per game (PPG) and held a 28.6% win percentage. In the 16 games after his injury, however, the win percentage dropped to 18.75% and the team only managed 1.06 PPG.

In the end Richards Bay still finished 11th and stayed well clear of the relegation fight, but without Mhango couldn’t continue their push for an MTN8 spot. At the end of the season, the Natal Rich Boys were five points behind the 8th placed Durban City FC.

The good news is that Mhango signed a two-year contract with Richards Bay, meaning he should be back to contribute again in the new season. This’ll be vital if the Natal Rich Boys want to return to the MTN8. It’s not just the amount of goals that Mhango scores that makes him so important, but when he scores them.

Mhango’s missing goals crucial

Before his injury, Mhango was Richard Bay’s leading scorer with four goals. Timing is everything in football, and three of these goals directly earned points for the team.

Mhango scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory against Chippa United, then earned 1-1 draws against both Polokwane City and Sekhukhune. These goals also demonstrated the versatility that Mhango could provide Richards Bay, as all three came from the right wing rather than traditional striker position.

The Malawian superstar has spent most of his career in South Africa, playing for sides such as Orlando Pirates, AmaZulu FC, and Golden Arrows before finding his current home at Richards Bay.

He clearly knows the league, and the breakdown of how his team performed with and without him demonstrates his immense value. The most important thing now is that Richards Bay help Mhango in his return to fitness, and then make sure to put him back on the pitch next year.