Lundi Mahala’s steady emergence is fast becoming one of Richards Bay’s most encouraging narratives this season, and it again stood out after a frenetic KZN Derby draw with Golden Arrows that tested both temperament and tactical maturity.
This was less about the final score and more about the familiar swings that continue to shape Richards Bay’s campaign. The Natal Rich Boyz struck first, surrendered control, trailed 2–1, and still found a way back — a sequence that highlighted both their vulnerabilities and their growing resilience.
At the centre of it all was Mahala. The Eastern Cape-born forward won the opening penalty before later hauling his side level with a leaping second-half header, taking his tally to four goals in his debut Betway Premiership season — a return that underlines his increasing importance.
“Mahala has been fantastic for us thus far. I think his physicality, mobility and aerial ability are giving defenders a tough time in this league,” Richards Bay coach Ronnie Gabriel said.
“The boy is growing in leaps and bounds and the goals are also coming so we expected better things to come from him because he’s got huge capabilities and he’s going to score a lot of goals in this league.”
While Mahala grabbed the headlines, Gabriel was candid about the nature of the contest and the mistakes that allowed Golden Arrows back into the game, despite Richards Bay’s positive start.
“It was a typical derby encounter, both teams were at each other’s throats,” he said. “We got a penalty early on and after that we sat back and let the opposition come at us, they had a lot of changes of the ball and eventually equalised.”
The second half followed a similar pattern. Richards Bay were punished again after conceding what Gabriel described as a “cheap goal,” briefly falling behind before finding another gear late on. “We conceded another cheap goal but we changed gears and eventually Mahala getting the equaliser so it’s a good day at the office for us and we take the points.”
The draw, while imperfect, reinforced Richards Bay’s growing belief in tight moments — something that has not always been present in previous seasons. It also provided further evidence that Mahala’s profile suits the physical demands of the league, particularly in emotionally charged fixtures.
Attention now shifts quickly to Nedbank Cup duty against Siwelele, where squad rotation and load management will come into play.
“The cup game will give us a chance to give players game time. We know it’s a long season and in the second round the games are clustered so we have to manage the workload and come up with a good combination to play Siwelele.”
For Richards Bay, the derby exposed flaws — but Mahala’s continued rise suggests there is a foundation worth trusting.
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