A South African politician has questioned whether Orlando Pirates coach Rhulani Mokwena is capable of steering the club out of their current slump.
Pirates suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to newly promoted Stellenbosch over the weekend as they continued their downward spiral in the league, where they now sit in 10th position.
The Buccaneers have won just two of their eight Absa Premiership games this season, with Mokwena having been in charge of six of these since taking over from Milutin Sredojevic in August.
Pressure is mounting on the 32-year-old tactician, who has managed just two wins in his nine games in charge thus far, while suffering early exits from the MTN8 and CAF Champions League.
READ: Rhulani's message to Bucs fans
While opinions have been split over the young tactician, former Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula has joined those who feel he is not ready to lead a club of Bucs' magnitude.
Scroll through the gallery above to see Mbalula's history with Pirates and Rhulani Mokwena...
"Pirates doesn't have a coach," said Mbalula, who is now Minister of Transport, to over two million followers on his official Twitter account.
"I looked forward to a great season for my team but am afraid [it] is not about to happen, we are in denial. So many great players but no coach.
"I have heard about this experiment. Pirates is a big club to experiment with history, it is our team we supported since we were kids. I support Rhulani Mokoena but for now he is not equal to the task."
READ: Bucs' best XI still a mystery to Rhulani?
Mokwena's next task comes as his biggest test yet in his young managerial career, with Pirates set to face arch rivals Kaizer Chiefs in the Telkom Knockout quarterfinals on Saturday.
SMS: Get the latest Orlando Pirates news sent to your phone!