Rulani Mokwena hails Relebohile Mofokeng as example of South Africa’s young talent

Pyramids FC coach Rulani Mokwena says Relebohile Mofokeng’s development shows how opportunities and strong club structures can help South Africa’s young footballers progress.

Mokwena highlighted Mofokeng’s journey as the country prepares for two significant youth football milestones. South Africa’s U20 side won the COSAFA Cup last weekend, securing qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations, where they are the defending champions.

The U23 team, meanwhile, is preparing to begin its qualifying campaign for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Speaking to SAFJA, Mokwena recalled first seeing Mofokeng during an Engine Knockout match between School of Excellence and Orlando Pirates.

“There was an Engine Knockout match between School of Excellence and Orlando Pirates. I remember because I was there watching and Rele was there, Kutlwano was there for School of Excellence and they had such a very good team,” Mokwena said.

“Immediately I got onto the phone to Shaun [Bishop], who was the Head of Youth and Methodology and Coaching with the academy at Sundowns, and I said, ‘Shaun, there is a number 10 that you have to sign at School of Excellence.’

“At that moment what Shaun told me was that Pirates was very, very aggressive with trying to also secure him, and so he could have been at Sundowns. But then we wouldn’t know if the story would have been the same or not.”

Mokwena said Orlando Pirates played an important role by giving Mofokeng the chance to establish himself, adding that creating similar opportunities for young players remains essential.

“Orlando Pirates was very important for him because they gave him an opportunity to play and this is sometimes what we try to do also,” he said. “Even at Wydad we had Bennani [Yassine] at 16, we try to give an environment now.

“Yesterday in our game, we played a cup game here with Pyramids and we had five debutants, some boys 16 years old. Some boys, 18 years old, some boys 19 years old but we gave them minutes on the pitch.”

Mokwena believes Mofokeng benefited from being surrounded by experienced players and coaches at Pirates. The midfielder appears to be continuing his progress at Royal Union Saint-Gilloise.

“Rele needed the environment of Pirates, he needed to have Xoki [Tapelo] around him, to have Kabelo Dlamini around him, to have Sibisi [Nkosinathi] around him,” Mokwena said.

“More experienced players, Makhaula, more experienced players, to help him, to guide him.

“He needed the change room with the capacity of the coaches and the club and the mentorship that Pirates provides. He’s become an incredible ambassador not just for South African football but for Orlando Pirates too. So I think he’s a boy that will achieve a lot of great things.”