Sithole's departure has come as a shock for Ea Lla Koto as he been with the club for 33 years, including his years as a player.
It was the Mokoenas who took Sithole abroad for coaching courses when he stopped playing.
"Sithole left because he wanted new challenges," a close source informs snl24.com/kickoff.
"Teams have shown interest in Themba Sithole before but they were scared to approach him because they thought he was too loyal to Free State Stars. Sekhukhune were just courageous to even knock at his door.
"But I think they came at the right time when he also wanted to leave Stars. But at Sekhukhune he is not sitting on the bench, instead he is heading the scouting and development of players. So his job is to make sure that he unearths the best talent in the country."
Contacted for comment, Stars boss Rantsi Mokoena refused to dwell much on the issue and only mentioned that the 57-year-old left without saying his goodbyes.
"Yes he left ya," Rantsi confirms. "I don't know, he didn't come tell me why, he left, he just left. I can't comment. You must ask him, I don't know."
Sithole was not available for comment.