Cool Mosimane eyes Makhanya promotion as he takes on-fire foreign brigade into Bafana return

Cool, calm and collected as he faced the media ahead of the tangible beginning to his return to Bafana Bafana with a first training session at UJ Stadium on Monday, Pitso Mosimane hinted at his enthusiasm for a rising generation of new stars he is taking over in his second stint.

The 62-year-old, with his wealth of experience gained as a pathfinder for South African coaches internationally, was never going to come out guns blazing — as he can — in his opening press conferences back with the national team.

Mosimane starts with two crucial 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers — on Saturday against a tough Guinea at Orlando Stadium (3pm) and on September 30 in a tricky away clash against Eritrea in neutral Cairo.

The coach spoke with characteristic candour in a University of Johannesburg sports room on Monday, though a suggestion of tempering the famous emotions and straight-talking early back at Bafana. He did allow some enthusiasm to show through when asked about some of the emerging talent he has in his squad, some of whom have been making waves in Europe after catching the eye in a decently competitive 2026 Fifa World Cup.

Mosimane has called up an exciting squad that retains the core of predecessor Hugo Broos’s combination that made history becoming the first Bafana to progress past a World Cup group stage in North America in June, with some interesting additions.

He believes he has begun bolstering the depth in the team recalling one-time youth prodigy Luther Singh after a five-year hiatus; a forward who, after years of battling in Europe, has found scoring form for AEL Limassol in Cyprus. Shandre Campbell, whose battles for game time at Belgian giants Club Brugge last season cost him a World Cup place, is South Africa’s current 21-year-old forward prodigy who also brings another dimension having shown promise scoring a goal in six games at new club KV Kortrijk.

But it is the form of a particular five of the overseas brigade that buoys the depth and confidence of the start of the coach’s second national stint. On Mosimane’s return, he is tasked with hitting the ground running in the crucial start to Bafana’s Afcon qualifying campaign without the luxury of any warm-up matches to experiment and implement his philosophy. It is essential in South Africa’s continued emergence from years in the doldrums, and to Mosimane’s tenure, that Bafana build on their better competitiveness in the Afcon — where Broos took them to a best finish of third in 2024, then a disappointing last 16 exit at the start of this year — and return to the World Cup by competing at the 2027 Nations Cup in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

To that end, Kaizer Chiefs youth product Puso Dithejane’s scoring form at Chicago Fire alongside South African generational talent club teammate Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s continued growth, which included his stellar World Cup, are hugely encouraging to Mosimane. Dithejane is another exciting addition post-Broos.

Three other shining lights whose exploits at new clubs in Europe in recent weeks have lit up social media really bring optimism.

Relebohile Mofokeng — perhaps under-utilised as Broos erred seemingly too much on the side of caution at the World Cup, but who terrorised strong-on-paper South Korea in Bafana’s one victory — has scored four goals in nine starts at Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. The 2024-25 Belgian Jupiler Pro League champions and last campaign’s runners-up top the table as any thoughts another generational talent might take time to find his feet in Europe after helping Orlando Pirates to a treble and first Premiership title in 13 years in 2025-26 have proved unfounded.

Thapelo Maseko, also excellent and the scorer against South Korea, had some reported struggles getting Mamelodi Sundowns to sell him after spending last season on loan and in form at Limassol, playing alongside Singh. He landed at FC Copenhagen and his first few weeks, including the first brace by a South African in Denmark’s Superliga since club legend Sibusiso Zuma 23 years ago, in 2003, have resulted in early comparisons with the player who earned the nickname “Zuma the Puma” in that country.

Then there is Olwethu Makhanya. Glasgow’s ‘Old Firm derby’ is renowned as one of the toughest and most intense derbies in football. The former South Africa U-20 and U-23 centreback was already earning rave reviews since his £3m (R65m) move from Philadelphia Union to Rangers after the World Cup. He just added to that putting Celtic in his pocket in successive Old Firm derbies — a 3-0 League Cup quarterfinal win and 1-0 Premiership victory — to set social media alight and have pundits in Scotland calling the Durban-born former Stellenbosch FC defender Rangers’ best signing of 2026-27.

Makhanya, Dithejane and Maseko are 22. Mbokazi and Mofokeng, like Campbell, are 21. Mosimane has youthful talent emerging — without even including players catching the eye last and this year for South Africa’s U-17 and U-20 combinations — that would have made the coach salivate in his first stint in 2010 to 2012.

Makhanya was in the squad but behind Mbokazi and Ime Okon, who plays for Hannover 96 in Germany’s Bundesliga II, in the pecking order at the World Cup, and even Pirates’ Nkosinathi Sibisi when Broos fielded three centrebacks in the opening defeat against Mexico at the Azteca. 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, who earned his lone Bafana cap in the build-up to the World Cup, out in the coming two games. He strongly hinted it would be.

“If you understand and follow football properly, you don’t play the Glasgow derby if you don’t have the mental capacity before you even talk about the talent,” the coach said.

“It’s a big stage. He played it away and last week he was at home. I thought the goal he scored — a cracker — would be allowed but unfortunately the ball hit the hand before.

The minute you don’t have a Luther Singh behind [in the pecking order] an [Oswin] Appollis, you don’t have a Cassius behind a ‘Rele’, a Puso behind Maseko, is when players start to be relaxed.

—  Pitso Mosimane

“So yes, he’s raising his hand to say ‘I want to play too’. Mbokazi has been great, he’s done exceptionally well. [Makhanya is saying], ‘I’m playing in Europe, I’m playing for a big team so I also deserve an opportunity’.

“And let the games speak. We are under pressure as coaches; let the players be under pressure. The minute you don’t have a Luther Singh behind [in the pecking order] an [Oswin] Appollis, you don’t have a Cassius [Mailula] behind a ‘Rele’, a Puso behind Maseko, is when players start to be relaxed.”

Throw in another returning Bafana player in Mailula — who, like Singh, has grown from hardships battling at clubs in Major League Soccer, Morocco and Belgium before opting to return to Sundowns, where he has regained his confidence and form — and Mosimane has some genuinely exciting talent at his disposal. Perhaps more players on form and playing at a strong league level than Broos had for the World Cup.

Almost certainly more than the Mosimane of his first Bafana tenure, less experienced then, having won less major international trophies and certainly less travelled in job experience, had in the early 2010s.

Now it’s for the coach and the impressive team of backroom boffins he’s accumulated since leaving the national job; then winning a Caf Champions League and 10 other trophies at Sundowns; two more Champions Leagues, four more trophies and two third-place Club World Cup finishes at Egypt’s Al Ahly, and experience coaching in the Gulf, to put it all together into a winning formula at Bafana.

Broos, despite his stubbornness in selections and ability to put his foot in his mouth, restored the long-ailing national team’s confidence and competitiveness. Mosimane, with his CV, better understanding of the culture and emerging talent, could certainly take Bafana even higher.