Chippa United chair Siviwe Mpengesi has warned that the club’s upcoming Betway Premiership clash against Kaizer Chiefs on November 28 could be its last match in Gqeberha, with the Chilli Boys planning to relocate permanently to KuGompo City.
Speaking during a radio interview with Umhlobo Wenene FM, Mpengesi said the high cost of running a football club, coupled with the lack of assistance from the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, had forced the club to consider other options.
“It is very expensive to run a team. It is very costly and we are not getting any assistance from the [municipality], so we saw it fit to try other avenues.
"So the Kaizer Chiefs match could be the last match that Chippa plays in Gqeberha,” Mpengesi said.
He expressed disappointment with the municipality over the club's failure to secure a new three-year agreement, saying it no longer had a formal partnership with the city.
Chippa relocated from Cape Town to the Eastern Cape 14 years ago.
According to Mpengesi, it is 12 years into its 20-year agreement with the municipality.
The arrangement provides for reviews every three years, with the previous three-year period ending at the conclusion of last season.
However, he said the municipality had failed to make a decision on the new agreement, leaving the club uncertain about its future in Gqeberha.
“Chippa has no agreements with the [Bay] municipality.
"The group of politicians that have been relegated as we speak, the previous council, failed to help us,” he said.
The club recently had to move some of its home fixtures from Gqeberha because the newly grown pitch at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was not ready.
In August, Chippa were forced to play their home league match against Orlando Pirates elsewhere, while their September encounter against Mamelodi Sundowns was moved to KuGompo City.
With a new council and ruling coalition expected to take over the municipality, Mpengesi said he was uncertain about what the incoming council would do, questioning whether its leadership had a genuine interest in football.
He said Chippa had also considered playing the Chiefs fixture elsewhere but decided to keep it in the city as a gesture of appreciation to supporters.
“We had planned to move this game as well, but we thought, for the sake of our fans in Gqeberha, let's bring the game to them to appreciate their support over the years,” he said.
This is not the first time Mpengesi has threatened to move the club to KuGompo City.
In 2025, he announced plans to relocate the team, a move that could have put at risk the R13m sponsorship the club receives from the Bay.
However, Mpengesi later made an about-turn, denying that the club was leaving in a letter sent to officials in the sport, recreation, arts and culture directorate.
Instead, he set his sights on acquiring control of the Isaac Wolfson Stadium.
Mpengesi believes Gqeberha is losing an important attraction by failing to retain the club.
“Football is the number one sport in SA, especially in Gqeberha.
"When Kaizer Chiefs, Pirates and Chippa play, the city comes to a standstill,” he said.
"But the municipality saw that there is no need to keep the team in the city anymore.”
