Makhaula’s quality and work ethic have seen him force his way into the reckoning in a midfield where the likes of Thalente Mbatha, Kabelo Dlamini, Thabiso Sesane, Miguel Timm, Azola Tshobeni and Karim Kimvuidi provide Riveiro with an embarrassment of riches.
He played 10 games in all competitions arriving in the second half of the 2022-23 season, 19 in 2023-24 and has been fielded 21 times just past halfway 2024-25, a campaign where matches are coming thick and fast as Bucs compete across multiple fronts.
There will be more opportunities if Pirates, who end their Group C campaign against Al Ahly in Cairo on January 18, reach the Champions League knockout stage.
Pirates will be out to bounce back from a rare defeat against Belouizdad, registering just their third defeat in all competitions and second in the Premiership with Wednesday night’s 1-0 loss to Cape Town City at Cape Town Stadium.