Orlando Pirates have confirmed the long-anticipated signing of New Zealand forward André de Jong from Stellenbosch FC, in a move likely intended to tie other elements of their attacking line together.
The 29-year-old – most commonly used by Stellenbosch as a second striker playing in behind an out-and-out number nine – scored 19 goals in 114 appearances, but was one of the most highly-valued players at the club despite a strike rate of a goal every six games.
De Jong, who picked up 11 career assists at Stellies, is likely to be seen as a player who can link up well with Pirates target man Evidence Makgopa.
Stellenbosch FC head of recruitment Brendon Fourie told ESPN in late 2024: “Andre is an interesting case study. We think Andre is one of the most under-rated footballer in South Africa. When we talk about players who are under-rated, we say they are ‘Andre-rated’, because he’s got his own metric.
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“What we saw is that sometimes, we needed to not just be able to play on the counter all the time. Andre was someone that gave us something different – he’s an outlet.
“When you can’t build up, when teams are sitting a little bit deeper, he can find a little bit of space. He can also run in behind. He presses a lot more than people think. He’s not really quick, but he presses.
“What drew me to Andre was: he was the only forward, number 10 – or whatever you want to call it – that was above average for almost any metric that you looked at. Usually, when you see players like that, you think: ‘OK. This is a player who adjust to what the game requires.
“If the game requires Andre to run in behind, he can run in behind. If the game requires him to drop a little bit deeper and link the play, he can do that.”
The son of former Fortuna Sittard striker Fred de Jong has now spent six and a half years in South Africa after formative years in New Zealand and at Australian semi-professional side Maccabi Hakoah Sydney.
De Jong told ESPN in a March 2025 interview that at previous South African clubs AmaZulu and Royal AM, he was judged more on goals than the wide variety of metrics used to define his worth at Stellenbosch. However, Orlando Pirates is a club which has some ideological coherence with Stellies.
Not only are both clubs which have prioritised youth development in recent years, and not only have Deano van Rooyen and Sihle Nduli recently moved from Stellies to Pirates, but there is a major personnel connection off the field in Orlando Pirates head of performance Ruan Rust, who served at Stellies with de Jong.
Pirates currently lead the Betway Premiership, having finished second to Mamelodi Sundowns in each of the last three seasons. De Jong is likely to be in contention to make his debut for the Buccaneers against Sekhukhune United on Jan. 24.