Pitso Mosimane, the 62-year-old coach of Bafana Bafana, expressed his enthusiasm for a rising generation of new stars as he faced the media ahead of his second stint with the national team. Mosimane starts with two 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers — on Saturday against Guinea at Orlando Stadium and on September 30 in a tricky away clash against Eritrea in neutral Cairo. He was characteristically candid during the press conference at the University of Johannesburg sports room on Monday.
Mosimane has begun bolstering the depth in the team, recalling one-time youth prodigy Luther Singh after a five-year hiatus. The coach believes that the form of five overseas players in particular has increased his confidence in the team's depth. These players have been making waves in Europe after catching the eye at the Fifa World Cup. Mosimane is tasked with hitting the ground running in the start to Bafana's Afcon qualifying campaign without the luxury of warm-up matches.
Kaizer Chiefs youth product Puso Dithejane's scoring form at Chicago Fire, alongside South African generational talent club teammate Mbekezeli Mbokazi's continued growth, are hugely encouraging to Mosimane. Dithejane and Mbokazi, both 21 and 22 years old respectively, are part of a new generation of players that Mosimane believes can help Bafana build on their better competitiveness in the Afcon. The team reached a best finish of third in 2024 under coach Hugo Broos.
Three other shining lights whose exploits at new clubs in Europe have lit up social media bring optimism to Mosimane. Relebohile Mofokeng has scored four goals in nine starts at Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, which tops the Belgian Jupiler Pro League table. Thapelo Maseko, who landed at FC Copenhagen, has had a stellar start, including the first brace by a South African in Denmark's Superliga since club legend Sibusiso Zuma 23 years ago.
Olwethu Makhanya, a 22-year-old centreback, has also been impressive since his £3m move from Philadelphia Union to Rangers. He has earned rave reviews for his performances, particularly in successive Old Firm derbies against Celtic, where he helped Rangers win a 3-0 League Cup quarterfinal and a 1-0 Premiership victory. Makhanya's form has set social media alight and pundits in Scotland calling him Rangers' best signing of 2026-27.
Mosimane was asked about his trio of players hitting the ground running at new European clubs this season and specifically whether Makhanya's form would make it hard to leave the Rangers centreback out in the coming two games. Mosimane strongly hinted that it would be difficult to leave Makhanya out, citing his mental capacity and talent. He also praised Makhanya's peers, Mbokazi and Dithejane, for their exceptional form.
Mosimane's youthful talent emerging would have made the coach salivate in his first stint in 2010-12. With Makhanya, Dithejane, and Maseko all 22, and Mbokazi and Mofokeng 21, Mosimane has a new generation of players that can help Bafana Bafana achieve success. The coach emphasized that players like Makhanya are raising their hands to say 'I want to play too' and that they deserve an opportunity to showcase their skills.
Key points
- Mosimane hints at enthusiasm for new stars as Bafana Bafana prepares for 2027 Afcon qualifiers.
- Makhanya's form makes it hard to leave him out of the team.
- Mosimane has youthful talent emerging that can help Bafana Bafana achieve success.
