Steven Pienaar joins South African side Cape Town City after disastrous stint with Sunderland
Former Everton star set to return home after miserable year on Wearside ends with relegation
CAPE TOWN CITY have thrown Sunderland flop Steven Pienaar a career lifeline.
The midfielder is available on a free after a disastrous spell at the Black Cats saw the club relegated from the Premier League.
Pienaar reunited with his former Everton boss last August, but was unable to help them avoid the drop during a miserable spell on Wearside.
However, Cape Town chairman John Comitis has now declared his eagerness to sign the 35-year-old.
Comitis said: "Steven is a great player. We are just waiting to see what he is going to do, and what is his decision.
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"We have a direct line [to him]. It is easy to talk to him.
"We don't discard anyone. We are not a youth development team - we want to win silverware.
"If there is such a kind of player that we need to do that, we will consider him."
The 61-cap South Africa international knows Comitis from their time together at Ajax Cape Town earlier in his career before his move to Ajax in 2001.
He later went on to have two spells with Everton, sandwiched between a brief stint at Tottenham, and joined Sunderland from the Toffees last summer.
Pienaar, who was born in Johannesburg, came through the academy at Ajax Cape Town and spent two years in their senior side before moving to Holland.
Cape Town City are currently third in South Africa's top division, sitting five points behind leaders Bidvest Wits, and play at the 69,000-capacity Cape Town Stadium.