Why is Ramagalela being silenced?

What the Siya crew has been told… Rodney Ramagalela faces two charges of misconduct at Polokwane City – the reason why he has not played for the club since January 5 this year. Siya sources have informed the crew that the verdict on allegations of insubor

An internal disciplinary hearing held on February 11 is the reason behind Ramagalela suddenly being tongue-tied, the Siya crew has been informed. Following the decision to finally break his silence over his suspension, speaking out on social media and radio stations earlier this month, the striker then surprisingly went dark again. One of the club’s most senior players, ‘Rama G’ has not played for Polokwane City since January 5. According to the club, his suspension is due to non-performance as well as insubordination, while insiders say it is partly because he refused to extend his contract. The contract will expire in June, though he has signed a pre-contract with Highlands Park. He will join them in July this year. The Siya crew has seen the charge sheet. What has also been kept away from the public is that the former junior international has a long- running frosty relationship with chairman Johnny Mogaladi and assistant coach Bernard Molekwa, a close ally of the owner. It is now believed that coach Jozef Vukusic, who has been evasive whenever he’s asked about the absence of the prolific forward, has offered the player no support. Ramagalela, who has since made several allegations about the club’s treatment of players and staff, claimed not to know why he had been told to stop training with the team more than a month ago. His agent, Mike Makaab, in trying to set the record straight, told the Siya crew on January 12 that his client had been suspended because of “insubordination” and not because of the deci- sion to reject a new contract. While in limbo at City, it was announced by Highlands Park that Ramagalela had signed a pre-contract and will be joining the Johannesburg-based club in July ahead of the 2019/20 season. There were initial reports that linked Ramagalela with a move to either Orlando Pirates or SuperSport United, but insiders poured cold water on suggestions that his suspension had nothing to do with a potential deal with the two Gauteng giants, which obviously fell through. The 30-year-old striker, the Siya crew has been informed, is an outspoken character in the dressing room and is believed to have had runins with chairman Mogaladi. These confrontations allegedly date back to even before the current season, with the player accused of being strong-willed. It appears he has burnt too many bridges. City have since distanced themselves from any comments made publicly by Ramagalela. Tincy Tema, the club’s Chief Operations Officer, told the Siya crew that the player “spoke out of turn” and without their permission. He said Rise and Shine would respond to allegations at a later stage. The verdict on the charges against Ramagalela is expected this week.