Seven matches into the FNB Premiership season, the coaching carousel is already spinning at pace. For some clubs, patience has run out. For others, the uncertainty runs deeper than results, exposing the competing demands and administrative tensions shaping Botswana’s top flight.
Four technical departments have been caught in significant changes, with Mochudi Centre Chiefs, Orapa United and Nico United already parting ways with coaches, while Tonota FC find themselves embroiled in a dispute over the status of head coach Thaloba Nthaga.
The early churn is a reminder of how quickly the balance can shift in the Premiership. Previous achievements offer little protection when results fail to meet expectations, while a coach’s position can become precarious even when the dispute extends beyond the pitch.
At Chiefs, the first major decision came after just three matches. The Kgatleng giants ended their relationship with Spanish coach Miguel Torreira, whose brief tenure yielded one win, one draw and one defeat.
That return was not enough to secure him more time. Chiefs moved quickly to appoint former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Reneilwe Letsholonyane, who joined after serving as an assistant coach in Zimbabwe’s Premier Soccer League.
That return was not enough to secure him more time. Chiefs moved quickly to appoint former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Reneilwe Letsholonyane, who joined after serving as an assistant coach in Zimbabwe’s Premier Soccer League.
His immediate task was to steady a club unwilling to let an uncertain start dictate the direction of its season.
Orapa United have taken a similarly decisive route. Elias Chinyemba’s spell with the Ostriches ended after he was suspended in September and subsequently left the club. The Zimbabwean has since joined Matebele FC, adding another chapter to the movement of coaches within the domestic game.
Nico United, meanwhile, parted ways with Vincent Kgaswane after two months in charge. His six-match spell produced two wins and four defeats, a record that left the club looking for a different direction.
Taken together, the departures suggest that the opening weeks of the campaign have offered little room for managers to build momentum through difficult patches. Yet while results explain some of the movement, Tonota’s situation shows that the coaching conversation is not always as straightforward as wins and losses.
At Tonota, the uncertainty surrounding Nthaga has developed into a public disagreement, with the club and coach offering conflicting accounts of his employment status.
The club announced that Nthaga had resigned and that his resignation had been accepted. Nthaga disputed that version on social media, insisting that he had neither resigned nor requested a release from his contract.
“I have noted Tonota Football Club’s announcement concerning my employment. For avoidance of doubt, I have neither resigned nor requested release from my contract. Any statement attributing such a request to me is incorrect,” Nthaga wrote on Facebook.
The disagreement has unfolded against the backdrop of his responsibilities with the national team. Nthaga was appointed interim Zebras head coach following Morena Ramoreboli’s departure, with Tonota reportedly granting him permission to join the Botswana Football Association (BFA).
That arrangement appears to have become a source of friction as international assignments began to overlap with club duties.
After returning from international duty in Tunisia, Nthaga was reportedly asked not to join the technical team for Tonota’s match against Matebele FC because he had not participated in preparations. He allegedly declined the request and took his place on the bench.
Following his return from Libya last week, the club reportedly again asked him to stay off the bench for the match against Police XI, citing concerns over his national-team commitments. Sources close to the matter say Nthaga questioned the position, given Tonota’s earlier approval of his international duties.
The BFA later secured his release to attend a CAF Strategic Workshop in Cape Verde, meaning he missed Tonota’s fixture against Sua Flamingoes.
Following his return from Libya last week, the club reportedly again asked him to stay off the bench for the match against Police XI, citing concerns over his national-team commitments. Sources close to the matter say Nthaga questioned the position, given Tonota’s earlier approval of his international duties.
Nthaga guided Tonota to an unbeaten First Division North title last season, earning the club automatic promotion. The newcomers have carried that momentum into the Premiership and sit second with 14 points, just one behind leaders Gaborone United. Their start makes the uncertainty around their coach all the more consequential. Tonota are not dealing with a campaign already slipping away; they are navigating a dispute while remaining firmly in the early-season conversation.
