Cheetahs get another champion from Cape Town

TRANSFER NEWS: The Cheetahs have bolstered their squad once again with a Varsity Cup champion from UCT Ikeys.

On Tuesday, the Bloemfontein franchise revealed that prop John Kelly Okonkwo has recently joined them.

Okonkwo has featured for UCT for the last two Varsity Cup campaigns and he was in the matchday squad when they beat Maties 44-21 in this year’s Final.

The young tighthead prop was previously in the Lions system and he also represented Wits before he headed to Cape Town.

He follows in the footsteps of Ntokozo Makhaza, who signed for the Cheetahs last month after scoring 32 points for UCT in the Final.

Makhaza was also crowned the 2025 Varsity Cup Player of the Year.

Last week, the Cheetahs also secured the services of dynamic young flank Sasko Ndlovu.

Ndlovu captained the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in the 2024 and 2025 Varsity Cups and previously made his Currie Cup debut for the Lions in 2022.

He also boasts national age-group honours, representing South Africa at Under-18 and U20 levels, underlining his pedigree and potential.

*Meanwhile, Louis van der Westhuizen and Rewan Kruger have extended their contracts for another two years with the Cheetahs.

Scrumhalf Kruger is a product of the Academy and made his debut for the senior team in the 2021 Bloemfontein Challenge.

Van der Westhuizen joined the Cheetahs in 2020. The 30-year-old hooker played in three World Cups for Namibia in 2015, 2019 and 2023.

Both players have earned 66 caps for the Cheetahs so far.