Orlando Pirates’ Benedict Vilakazi, who was this week charged with the alleged rape of a minor, put his problems off the field behind him as he helped steer the Bucs to a 3-1 victory over Manning Rangers and a nine-point lead at the top of the Castle Premiership.
Pirates led 2-0 at the break.
Vilakazi — who has denied the allegations — scored the opening goal. The club are standing by him. But so serious are those allegations that Pirates have taken the club captaincy from him until the end of the case.
Vilakazi showed no ill effects from a drama-packed couple of days in which he has hit the headlines, and was in his usual dazzling form. He opened Bucs’ account in the easy win over struggling Manning Rangers at the Johannesburg Stadium on Wednesday night.
Vilakazi was, as per usual, the dynamo that drove Bucs’ engine-room. He scored the first goal of the night as early as the 12th minute from a rebound after Rangers goalkeeper John Tlale failed to hold Perry Mutapa’s powerful long-range shot.
The quick-thinking Vilakazi was the first to attack the loose ball and managed to chip it over Tlale’s head.
Bucs never looked back and went 2-0 ahead on 27 minutes when Tlale was at fault for failing to deal with a Lucky Lekgwathi free kick that took a deflection and flew into the far corner of the net.
Tlale, a former Buccaneer, managed to prevent Joseph Makhanya making it 3-0 in the 35th minute with a fine save.
The not so Mighty Maulers’ new signing Macdonald Mukansi then forced Bucs goalkeeper Francis Chansa to make a timely save two minutes from the half-time whistle.
Pirates substitute Jimmy Kauleza was marginally wide when he chipped over Tlale and on to the roof of the net five minutes after the restart.
Bucs then went 3-0 ahead in the 55th minute when captain on the night, Edelbert Dinha, thudded home a header from a Makhanya corner to put the home side firmly in charge.
However, Mukansi, a former Bafana Bafana striker, had other ideas and he managed to reduce the deficit when he used his strength to barge past the Bucs defence and make it 3-1 after 59 minutes.
Pirates striker Tyren Arendse wasted a great chance to restore the three-point cushion when he was set up by Vilakazi after 62 minutes. But the Bafana striker shot straight at Tlale when he should have done better.
Bucs kept pushing forward, looking for that fourth goal. Tlale pulled off great saves form Kauleza and Arendse in the 68th and 70th minutes respectively.
Apart from Mukansi’s goal, Rangers were rarely in with a chance and were lucky not to have returned to Durban with a much bigger defeat. — Sapa