What are the facts?

With the Dube Birds preparing for their topflight return, chairman David Mogashoa went on a shopping spree ahead of the 2020/21 campaign, signing more than 15 players and renewing the contracts of some of those instrumental in securing promotion.

Ngcobo, a familiar face to coach Truter having worked with the player at Uthongathi FC the season prior, was signed to bolster the team.

He told Kick Off in September that he’d only agreed a oneyear deal with an added option to have it extended by two more years. Mogashoa, however, subsequently told the Siya crew that it is a long-term agreement.

“Ngcobo signed for two-years plus a two-year option – effectively, it is four years. Even if Ngcobo was on a one-year plus a three-year option, obviously even a blind man will activate the option. So, when it comes to Ngcobo, he is a Swallows player and for four years he is locked at Swallows,” Mogashoa explained.

Those remarks indicate that the confusion over the length of the contract has been cleared up, giving the Dube Birds more time to control the narrative.

Swallows can sell Ngcobo, who has played every minute of every league game so far this season, to the highest bidder.

He has been in the topflight before, at AmaZulu FC, after he graduated from their youth development structures, but never really got going. Ngcobo only made one appearance for Usuthu before joining Richards Bay FC, where he would later play under Truter, now his Swallows coach.

Perhaps his young age didn’t make him an obvious choice for Usuthu at the time, but his form up to now suggests that he is ready for the big time.

At Chiefs, Hunt has constantly bemoaned errors at the back and is looking for options to eradicate them – could Ngcobo be that solution?

The questions marks around the Amakhosi rear-guard clearly open the door for new arrivals, but the final decision rests with Swallows.