Lundi Mahala of Richards Bay challenged by Sibongiseni Mthethwa of Kaizer Chiefs during the Betway Premiership match at Umhlathuze Sports Stadium on Tuesday night.
Image: BackpagePix
Richards Bay (0) 1
Gumede 69'
Kaizer Chiefs (0) 2
Kaizer Chiefs woes continued on Tuesday as they lost their fourth game in a row in all competitions, going down 1-0 to Richards Bay at the UMhlathuze Sports Complex.
Amakhosi, who remain fifth on the table, took a further blow in their hunt for CAF competition next season while the Natal Rich Boys moved up to ninth on the Betway Premiership standings.
Winger Thulani Gumede scored the decisive goal halfway through the second half to add further misery to the travelling contingent and help his side beat Chiefs for the third time in a row at home.
Just as Chiefs searched for a goal halfway through the second half, it was the hosts who stole the lead via a counterattack in the 69th minute.
Gumede showed great composure in the box after Sanele Barns' low cross to beat Bruce Bvuma with a low drive into the bottom corner after a Bradley Cross blunder.
Still reeling from a heartbreaking defeat in the Soweto Derby at the weekend, the visitors head to the north of KwaZulu-Natal with hopes of ending a three-game losing streak.
Preparations for this encounter were dealt a huge blow when captain and defender Inacio Miguel withdrew after the warm-up, forcing Cross into an unfamiliar centre-back slot.
The opening stanza saw a shocking lack of control and quality from both sides, with alarming exchanges of possession a frequent occurrence.
For the hosts, it seemed a positive 45 minutes as they were able to stress Chiefs goalkeeper Bruce Bvuma, the best of those chances coming in the 22nd minute.
Bvuma was lucky to see the ball fly wide from a Lundi Mahala shot after the goalkeeper poorly parried a Sanele Barnes free kick back into play.
Having made six changes to the side that lost against Orlando Pirates over the weekend, the chemistry and fluidity was a clear point of contention for Chiefs when the half-time break came.
The second stanza seemed to be heading in a different direction with Richards Bay more conservative, allowing Chiefs to hold possession with any real harm.
Desperate for a spark, The Chiefs technical team threw on Mduduzi Shabalala and Glody Lilepo in the 60th minute, those moves would seem even more important when the hosts took the lead in the 69th minute.
All those efforts would be futile as Chiefs slumped to yet another defeat.
Elsewhere, Stellenbosch FC and Siwelele FC played out to a goalless draw at the Toyota Stadium.
While at the Mbombela Stadium, TS Galaxy were shocked by Orbit College 2-1 as the Mswenko Boys climbed out of the relegation zone.