Joel Masutha hopeful of staying on as The Bees coach

The Mpumalanga-based side appointed the experienced mentor in February this year as they looked to steady their campaign in the second tier. Masutha arrived from SAFA Limpopo ABC Motsepe League outfit Musina United after previously parting ways with Black Leopards.

The Bees were competing in the National First Division for the first time in the club’s history after earning promotion through the ABC Motsepe League national playoffs. Masutha says he is proud of the progress made by the team and hopes the club will allow him to continue building the project.

"You know football, you can never say never but we put in a lot of work to get away from relegation trouble, so we're hoping that I'll be here next season." 

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The Bees will wrap up their 2025/26 Motsepe Foundation Championship season with a highly anticipated Mpumalanga derby against Kruger United, who have already secured promotion to the Betway Premiership.

The match is expected to draw strong local interest as Kruger prepare for life in the top flight, while The Bees look to end their maiden campaign in the division on a positive note.

Masutha has urged football supporters in Mpumalanga to come out in their numbers for what he believes should be a memorable occasion for the province.

The Bees FC have officially secured their Motsepe Foundation Championship status after claiming an important 2-1 victory over Leicesterford City. The result moved the club clear of the relegation places with one fixture remaining in the season.

After spending parts of the campaign fighting near the bottom of the table, Masutha says he is satisfied that the team managed to collect enough points to avoid finishing in the relegation zone.

"All in all we were playing to survive. One point was going to make us safe but we got all three points, which is also going to place us in a respectable position."