PROVEN WINNER: Pitso Mosimane finally unveiled as the new Bafana coach after extensive negotiations

Trendsetting South African soccer coach Pitso Mosimane has finally been unveiled as the replacement of long-serving Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos. The latter departed in July, after a memorable five-year tenure during which he restored the dignity of the team following years of being a joke. Mosimane now has a solid foundation to build on.

“A very difficult task”. That’s how Pitso Mosimane described the job that awaits him in his second stint as the new Bafana Bafana head coach. The 62-year-old replaces the polarising, but successful, Belgian tactician Hugo Broos. His appointment was formalised on Tuesday, 1 September, at Safa House in Nasrec.

South African Football Association (Safa) chief executive Lydia Monyepao said Mosimane’s appointment came with “great expectations, but great confidence”.

Meanwhile, Safa President Danny Jordaan told Mosimane: “Thank you very much for accepting our offer. We are looking forward to achieving our objectives [with you], on behalf of our nation and on behalf of football in our country. We wish you all the success.”

In just under a month, Bafana are set to begin their quest to qualify for a third successive Africa Cup Nations (Afcon) tournament.

The team’s quest to compete in the 2027 Afcon (which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania) begins in late September, with clashes against Guinea and Eritrea on 23 and 27 September respectively. They play Kenya in November.

Mosimane previously coached Bafana from 2010 to 2012. A huge blemish during his tenure was when the team failed to qualify for that year’s Afcon, despite celebrating as if they had done so.

Bafana played their final qualifier against Sierra Leone in October 2011, resulting in a 0-0 stalemate. Mosimane and his players believed that finishing tied on points with Niger and holding a superior goal difference meant they automatically secured qualification.

However, Confederation of African Football rules dictated that head-to-head records between the tied teams took precedence over overall goal difference. Because Niger held the better head-to-head record, South Africa were eliminated.

Of course, Mosimane has extensively expanded his CV since then. He has evolved from being a prospect in the coaching profession to one Africa’s greatest coaches.

After eight successful years at Mamelodi Sundowns, from 2012 to 2020, Mosimane joined Al Ahly. During his tenure, he led the African heavyweights to three African Champions League finals on the trot; winning two. This added to his first Champions League title, which he won with Sundowns in 2016.

After leaving Al Ahly, he coached in the Middle East. His first foray into the Gulf was in 2022 when he worked at Al-Ahli in Jeddah. He took the club from the second tier to the top flight, before resigning in mid-2023. His most recent coaching stint was with Iranian club Esteghlal, which he left in 2025. He has been unattached since, focusing on his academy and starting a podcast.

“First of all, I have accepted and acknowledged the good work that has been done. So, I have to work on that platform.