Pirates currently top the Betway Premiership table, two points ahead of second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns, with a game in hand.

They return to action on January 24 with a trip to Sekhukhune United, when Msendami and Chabatsane could make their debuts.

So who are the Buccaneers’ two new recruits?

Zimbabwean right winger Msendami, 25, joins after representing his country at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco, having joined Gallants from Jwaneng Galaxy in Botswana in 2024.

He netted four goals in 49 appearances (41 starts) for Gallants over the past 18 months, with his final goal for the club coming against Pirates in a 2–1 league victory for Gallants in August.

He began his career with hometown club Highlanders in Bulawayo, before a loan spell at Vubachikwe and then a move to Botswana’s Jwaneng Galaxy for the 2022/23 campaign.

After a successful season with Galaxy, his move was made permanent and he scored a reported 19 goals in 53 appearances across two campaigns.

He featured in the CAF Champions League with Galaxy in the second of those seasons and also scored as the Botswana side stunned Pirates in the second preliminary round, knocking them out of the competition.

Gallants signed him ahead of the 2024/25 season and it is fair to say he was a hit, also scoring important goals in wins over AmaZulu, TS Galaxy and, to the delight of Pirates fans, Kaizer Chiefs.

He does not score many goals, but when he does, they tend to be important ones.

Chabatsane, 23, is a left-sided defender who predominantly plays at full-back but can also operate at centre-back.

He rose to prominence in the second tier with JDR Stars, where he spent three seasons after making his debut in the 2021/22 campaign, before joining Gallants in 2024.

He was not a regular in his first season at the club but has been this term, making 34 appearances (27 starts) in all competitions.

Remarkably, he has never managed more than his current 13 league appearances in any of his five seasons in senior football, but Pirates clearly see him as a player with development potential.

Some of that has been due to injury and some to form, but he is averaging around 12 league appearances per season, with eight starts.

He has never scored a goal in senior football, having now made 69 appearances for Stars and Gallants combined.