Highbury FC chair Cameron Klopper says the club has already attracted interest from both local and international coaches after its decision to mutually part ways with head coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi, popularly known as Kanu.
The Gqeberha-based club and Vilakazi agreed to end their working relationship following discussions on Tuesday afternoon, bringing an end to his relatively short spell in charge after joining at the beginning of the 2026/2027 Motsepe Foundation Championship season.
Klopper confirmed that several coaches had already submitted their CVs for consideration as Highbury begin the process of finding a replacement.
He said the club was grateful for Vilakazi's contribution and his departure should not be interpreted as a failure on the coach's part.
He described Vilakazi as a good coach and a good human being, adding that the club had learnt a great deal from working with him.
Klopper said the decision was reached on good terms, with both parties agreeing to part ways respectfully.
“We had a discussion on Tuesday and reached an agreement to part ways," Klopper said.
"We are on good terms, and we wanted to be as kind as possible to the club, its leadership and the coach."
However, he admitted that the club's decision was influenced by its position in the league and the need to meet the objectives set for the season.
He said Highbury were falling short of where they expected to be at this stage of the campaign and wanted to make changes to accelerate their efforts to get back on track.
Vilakazi joined Highbury in June, replacing Kabelo Sibiya, who had been with the club for several years.
The former Chippa United mentor arrived with the responsibility of building on Highbury's sixth-place finish last season, when they collected 42 points.
However, the current campaign has not progressed as the club had hoped.
After 10 league matches, the Yellow Nation sit eighth on the Motsepe Foundation Championship log with 15 points from four wins, three draws and three defeats.
Their latest setback was a 3-1 defeat against North-West University on November 7, following a 2-1 comeback win against Leicesterford City.
Klopper said he would take charge of the team when training resumed on Thursday.
“We don't have another coach at present. We start training again on Thursday. Right now, I'm in charge,” he said.
However, the club is hoping to move quickly in filling the vacant position, with Klopper saying that Highbury intends to announce their new head coach by the close of business on Thursday.
