Star Coaches: A Look at Every Manager Who Has Won the Nedbank Cup Since Its Inception in 2008

Coaches Adnan Beganovic (TS Galaxy), Bucs Mthombeni (Casric Stars), Xanti Pupuma (Milford FC), and Pitso Dladla (Durban City) are all vying for their maiden silverware, with the Nedbank Cup marking a significant milestone in their careers.

Galaxy will take on Milford on Sunday, 5 April (kick-off at 15h00), while Durban City will host Casric Stars on Saturday, 4 April (15h00).

The list of past winning coaches reads like a who’s who of South African football talent since the tournament was restructured in 2008.

Here’s a comprehensive list of coaches who have lifted the trophy during this period:

2008 – Trott Moloto (Mamelodi Sundowns)

Moloto stepped into the role as Sundowns coach from Gordon Igesund in February 2008, just a month ahead of their Nedbank Cup campaign. He successfully led the team past both SuperSport United and Kaizer Chiefs before facing National First Division side Mpumalanga Black Aces in the final. Lerato Chabangu scored a dramatic late winner, securing the trophy for The Brazilians.

2009 – Julio Leal (Moroka Swallows)

This turned out to be the final match for Brazilian Leal, who was dismissed despite clinching the Nedbank Cup trophy, as his team faced challenges in the league. They reached the final against NFD side University of Pretoria and comfortably won, courtesy of a solitary goal by fellow Brazilian Vinicius Da Silva.

2010 – Roger de Sa (BidVest Wits)

De Sa took Wits to a surprising final appearance with a youthful squad still developing. They played against AmaZulu and secured a narrow victory of 3-0 after late goals from Sifiso Vilakazi (two) and Fabricio Da Silva. Although the scoreline suggests an easy win, it wasn’t sealed until the final moments of the match.

2011 – Ruud Krol (Orlando Pirates)

Another coach who won the Nedbank Cup and departed shortly after was Dutchman Krol. He led Pirates to clinch both the League and top-eight titles, but his contract was not renewed. In the final against NFD team Black Leopards, Pirates came from behind to claim a 3-1 victory thanks to two goals from Thulasizwe Mbuyane and one from Isaac Chansa.

2012 – Gavin Hunt (SuperSport United)

This marked the first of three consecutive finals for Hunt, with his SuperSport team overpowering Sundowns 2-0 as Thabo September and Kermit Erasmus found the net in the second half. In 2013, Hunt returned only to witness SuperSport fall 1-0 to Kaizer Chiefs, and after moving to BidVest Wits, he guided them to the 2014 final, where they lost 3-1 to Orlando Pirates.

2013 – Stuart Baxter (Kaizer Chiefs)

In his first stint at Chiefs, Baxter had a stellar start, achieving the ‘Double’ in his initial season, culminating in a Nedbank Cup win with a 1-0 triumph over SuperSport. Bernard Parker scored the decisive goal in extra time, denying Matsatsantsa back-to-back wins.

2014 – Vladimir Vermezovic (Orlando Pirates)

Pirates had already progressed past the Last 32 of the Nedbank Cup when Vermezovic, who previously spent nearly three seasons at Chiefs, took charge. He promised his players a victory in the final and delivered, as they rallied from a goal down to defeat Wits 3-1, with Kermit Erasmus netting twice and Sifiso Myeni adding another.

2015 – Pitso Mosimane (Mamelodi Sundowns)

Having previously lifted the trophy with SuperSport in 2005, Mosimane secured another win with Sundowns by edging past De Sa’s Ajax Cape Town in a penalty shootout following a 0-0 draw. Abbubaker Mobara had a chance to clinch it for Ajax during the shootout but missed, allowing Sundowns to repeat their 2008 triumph.

2016 – Stuart Baxter (SuperSport United)

Baxter had only been with SuperSport for a few months when he led them to victory in the Nedbank Cup final against Pirates, winning 3-2. Despite going a goal down, his side surged to a 3-1 lead by halftime, with goals from Jeremy Brockie, Bradley Grobler, and Michael Boxall sealing his second trophy win.

2017 – Stuart Baxter (SuperSport United)

Baxter solidified SuperSport’s dominance by helping them retain the Nedbank Cup title with a commanding 4-1 victory over Pirates in the final. He saw two goals from Bradley Grobler, along with contributions from Jeremy Brockie and Kingston Nkhatha, ensuring he didn’t suffer a single loss in a Nedbank Cup fixture during his 18 months at the helm.

2018 – Luc Eymael (Free State Stars)

Belgian coach Eymael led Free State Stars into the final against Maritzburg United at the Cape Town Stadium. Although the latter were the presumed favourites, Stars triumphed through a tactical masterclass, with a winning goal from Goodman Dlamini sealing a 1-0 victory for Ea Lla Koto.

2019 – Dan Malesela (TS Galaxy)

Malesela emerged as both a player and coach in the Nedbank Cup, orchestrating a sensational victory for second-tier TS Galaxy over Soweto’s Kaizer Chiefs at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. This marked the pinnacle of his coaching career to date, crowned by a late penalty from Zakhele Lepasa.

2020 – Pitso Mosimane (Mamelodi Sundowns)

The final was the last game for Mosimane at Sundowns before his move to Egyptian giants Al Ahly. He secured a ‘Treble’ of trophies for the Tshwane outfit in the 2019-20 season. They faced Bloemfontein Celtic in the final at Orlando Stadium, with a stunning 80th-minute winner from Gaston Sirino sealing the victory.

2021 – Dylan Kerr (TTM)

Kerr was recruited to TTM primarily to help avoid relegation, thus leading the team to the Nedbank Cup final was an unexpected bonus. They prevailed over Sundowns in the semifinals and faced Chippa United, where a lone goal from Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo secured victory for the Limpopo team.

2022 – Manqoba Mngqithi & Rulani Mokwena (Mamelodi Sundowns)

The coaching duo secured their initial wins as co-coaches in the Nedbank Cup after previously winning the trophy in assistant roles under Mosimane. Peter Shalulile opened the scoring in the final against Marumo Gallants, but an equaliser from Sede Dion meant extra time was necessary. Thapelo Morena netted a dramatic late goal to clinch the victory for The Brazilians.

2023 – Jose Riveiro (Orlando Pirates)

Riveiro, in his first season in South Africa, had already secured the MTN8 and was on the hunt for a second trophy alongside a second-place league finish. They contested against Sekhukhune United in a sold-out final at Loftus Stadium, coming from behind to win 2-1 and claim the trophy.

2024 – Jose Riveiro (Orlando Pirates)

Riveiro achieved back-to-back triumphs, guiding his team to a 2-1 win against Sundowns in the final, thanks to a penalty from Patrick Maswanganyi and a stoppage-time winner from Relebohile Mofokeng. He has already notched a hat-trick of MTN8 titles this season and aims for a similar achievement in the Nedbank Cup, a remarkable feat indeed.

2025 – Nasreddine Nabi (Kaizer Chiefs)

Despite not achieving long-term success at Naturena, Tunisian coach Nabi ended their decade-long trophy drought and secured the Nedbank Cup title for the first time since 2013. He did so by defeating bitter rivals Orlando Pirates 2-1 in the final, effectively thwarting Riveiro’s attempt at a title hat-trick. Nabi departed from Chiefs in September 2025.