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The Orlando Pirates have confirmed the worst-kept secret with an announcement Monday that Thulani Hlatshwayo’s Bafana Bafana captain and his now-former Bidvest Wits teammate Deon Hotto are officially Buccaneers.
The Pirates president welcomed the new guys, saying both have long been targets of the Soweto club.
“We are pleased to welcome Thulani [Hlatshwayo] and Deon [Hotto] to the Club, ”Khoza said on the club’s official website.
“These are two players who have a proven pedigree both at club level and internationally and we are sure that they will complement the team we have put together.
“I must thank everyone who participated in the negotiations.”
TimesLIVE reported last month that Namibian international Hotto will become one of the highest paid players in the Premiership once an official announcement is made after it emerged that he will earn more than R500,000 per month at Pirates next season.
An insider who was involved in the deals told TimesLIVE that the 28-year-old attacker “makes about R200,000 a month” at current Bidvest Wits employers and this figure will more than double when he completes his move to Pirates.
TimesLIVE may reveal that the Pirates went above and beyond to get their man, tripling Hotto’s annual salary from the R2, 4 million a year he pocketed at Wits to just over R7m.
The duration of the players’ contracts was not disclosed.
The announcement is the first step for the club to strengthen its squad as the Bucs set their sights on closing the gap between themselves and rivals Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs.
