Former Orlando Pirates teen sensation Augustine Mahlonoko has joined Baroka, according to a report by KickOff.
The midfielder made history in 2018 when he became the youngest player to be capped by the Buccaneers just two weeks short of his 17th birthday.
Augustine Mahlonoko joins Baroka
Despite being tipped as one of the world’s most promising talents – as per The Guardian’s “60 young talents” list – Mahlonoko found himself without a club in 2020.
This was after being released by the Sea Robbers, following his loan stint at third-tier outfit Pele Pele FC.
It has now emerged that the teenager has been snapped up by Baroka, who survived relegation in the recently-concluded season.
Bakgakga chairman Khurishi Mphahlele confirmed the news to KickOff on Monday.
“Do you know this boy Mahlonoko? He was playing for Pirates. Ya, we’ve signed that young boy,” Mphahlele confirmed.
“It happened about three weeks back. We signed him for two seasons with one-year option. That’s a gem, that one is a gem.
“We will see what he is going to do for us next year. He gave us a lot of problems in the MDC this boy. And I’m sure he played three, four games in the Pirates senior team.
“He was about 16 years when he was promoted to the senior team, so he’s very intelligent. We loved him so much.”
Khurishi Mphahlele, Baroka chairman
Mahlonoko will be looking to add to his 13 minutes of competitive top-flight football, which he accumulated over three appearances during his time at Pirates.
He made his debut off the bench in the 2018/19 season opener against Highlands Park, coming on in injury time in place of Vincent Pule.
His longest run on the field came during the 1-0 defeat to Bloemfontein when he replaced Mpho Makola in the 79th minute.
The midfielder has joined Baroka on a three-year deal.
