Motsepe Foundation Championship football expert and analyst James Mayinga believes Baroka FC orchestrated their downfall by suspending Dan Malesela.
Malesela helped save Bakgaga's season following their bad start under the inexperienced Stanford Nkoane at the beginning of the season, but was suspended one game into the play-offs after losing 1-0 to Richards Bay FC.
The Nedbank Cup-winning coach was replaced by former Chippa United tactician Morgan Mammila, but the team finished third in play-off standings.
READ | 'They're phoning him' - Baroka chairman on why Malesela is suspended
"I'm disappointed with Tuks and Baroka," Mayinga tells KickOff.
"Tuks we thought they were going to have an upper hand in the playoffs because they are a team that doesn't concede much.
"It's the goals that they have conceded that have compromised their chances of going to the DStv Premiership.
"It leads you to question their style of play, which shows that somewhere somehow they were predicted.
"And Baroka by sacking coach Dan they shot themselves in the foot. Most youngsters enjoyed a good understanding with coach Dan, he understood them.
"You employ a person like Morgan Mammila who doesn't have credentials. How do you motivate the youngsters?
"It's difficult to coach youngsters to perform week in and week out. So Coach Dan had found the formula. I understand differences will always be there in football because we will not always see things eye to eye.
READ | Richards Bay maintain top spot in play-offs
"But I still believe they should have put their differences aside until after the playoffs, instead of finding a new coach who brought a different mentality.
"The players now had to undo whatever they were doing with coach Dan Malesela in a space of a week which was never enough.
"They took an emotional decision that compromised their chances of going to the DStv Premiership.
"If you look at Richards Bay 90% of their players are the same ones who played in the first division, they knew exactly what was expected in the playoffs. They came there prepared.
"I was happy to see Nsundwana who doesn't score often become a hero. Remember coach Vusumuzi Vilakazi was a striker. So his experience rubbed off on his players."