Orlando Pirates have made official comment on the withdrawal of goalkeeper Brilliant Khuzwayo from this weekend's Soweto Derby.
Khuzwayo was due to make his long-awaited Pirates debut after being voted into the Carling Black Label Cup starting XI against Kaizer Chiefs this Saturday.
READ: Bucs pull plug on Khuzwayo debut
However, news broke on Tuesday evening that the former Amakhosi shotstopper was removed from the Buccaneers' roster and replaced by Wayne Sandilands.
Pirates administration officer Floyd Mbele has since explained exclusively to snl24.com/kickoff the reason behind their decision to delay 29-year-old's first senior appearance.
"It's a medical precaution, I don't want to talk about the substance around it. Given the medical report that we have, it's the precaution that the club is taking," says Mbele.
READ: Bucs star approves of new signings
The news has sparked some controversy surrounding Khuzwayo's availability after he earlier tweeted that he was fit and ready for the new season, but the post has since been deleted by the player.
Brilliant Khuzwayo said he's ready to play . Pirated don't wanna play him , the poor guy played for MDC last season and his not injured . They must not lie to the people . ?? pic.twitter.com/5unCTtneeD
— ???? KhweziLomso ??? (@Bongani_Wale) July 23, 2019
He has yet to make a public first team appearance since arriving at Bucs over a year ago, and it would appear there is more to the injury he picked up while at Chiefs, which prompted him to undergo surgery before the start of last season.
Get the latest Orlando Pirates news sent to your phone!