Betway Premiership powerhouse Kaizer Chiefs enjoyed a shopping spree of 11 new signings, with Khanyisa Mayo standing out as the only name arriving on loan.
The 27-year-old forward from Mthatha, Eastern Cape, makes the switch from Algerian giants CR Belouizdad, where he scored six goals and added one assist in 41 appearances. He had joined The Chababists from Cape Town City in August 2024 for a hefty fee of around R20 million, but barely a year later, he’s back on South African soil.
Now, as he prepares for his Kaizer Chiefs debut, Mayo’s agent, Basia Michaels, has revealed why his Naturena move came through a loan deal instead of a permanent transfer.
KHANYISA MAYO LOAN DEAL TO KAIZER CHIEFS EXPLAINED
“It was the best way out because CRB wanted to recover the money they paid to City because they still owe Cape Town City money,” Michaels said via Soccer Laduma. Doing the deal this way was the easiest way to get the deal done, because a sale or purchase of the player would have been harder, not for any other reason…the transfer fee would have been harder.
“It’s football, and sometimes it does not work out the way we would like, so we kind of just have to go from there,” Michaels added
“It goes without saying that he is excited about the new challenge. It’s a fresh start for him. I do believe the terms and requirements for him are reachable. Kaizer Chiefs made an offer for Khanyisa very early. Khanyisa hadn’t even gone back to Algeria, and Kaizer Chiefs had contacted me for him,” she concluded.
Mayo is no stranger to Premier Soccer League football. A product of the revered SuperSport United academy, he sharpened his game in the National First Division, turning out for Royal Eagles, Ubuntu FC, and Richards Bay before stepping up to the big stage.
It was in the Betway Premiership where he truly made his name, banging in 29 goals and laying on six assists in 93 appearances for Cape Town City, finishing as the league’s joint top goalscorer with Mamelodi Sundowns’ legendary Peter Shalulile in 2022/23 with 12 goals.
Now he’s back in Mzansi’s top flight with Kaizer Chiefs, the same club where his father once played, and the most followed team on this land.
In the meantime, Mayo’s registration is yet to be cleared. He is not expected to feature as Amakhosi host Sekhukhune United at the FNB Stadium at 19:30 this evening.