Mohafe targets ‘comfort zone’ shake-up after quitting Polokwane for Marumo Gallants role

New Marumo Gallants head coach Phuti Mohafe says his decision to leave Polokwane City was driven by a desire to escape his “comfort zone” and test himself by steering a struggling club away from relegation danger.

The 52-year-old, one of the emerging coaching figures in South African football, stunned many by walking away from a stable project at Polokwane City to take over at Gallants, a club that has experienced significant coaching upheaval in recent seasons.

Gallants turned to Mohafe in the off-season after a brief spell in charge for Jamil Benouahi, who himself had only taken the reins with three months of the 2025/26 campaign remaining following the departure of Alexandre Lafitte.

A former Witbank Spurs defender, Mohafe has enhanced his reputation over the past few years by transforming Polokwane City – nicknamed Rise and Shine – into consistent top-eight finishers, providing the club with rare continuity and solidity in the Betway Premiership.

His exit therefore surprised supporters and observers alike, given he appeared to be in the midst of a long-term building process at Polokwane, while Gallants have been associated with instability and uncertainty in the dugout.

‘I wanted to get out of my comfort zone’

Speaking on 947’s MSW, Mohafe explained that professional growth rather than off-field issues lay behind his decision to switch clubs.

“As young kids we learned by burning our fingers, so I think now I have to taste acid with my tongue. You must understand that if you eat the poison, you must know that it is going to kill you,” he said.

“So I came to Marumo knowing very well what I’m heading for and those outside football matters, I didn’t care about them but what I cared about was the growth of me as a coach and I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. I think being at Polokwane, I was becoming comfortable. That is why maybe there was no improvement from the positions we were getting but qualifying for the top eight.”

Polokwane City have regularly secured top-eight finishes under Mohafe, but he suggested that plateauing at that level had left him wanting more in terms of challenge and development.

From promotion success to relegation fight

Mohafe has built his coaching CV step by step, including working in the National First Division (NFD), guiding a team to promotion and then leading Polokwane City to three consecutive top-eight qualifications.

“So I needed another challenge and the challenge was for me to say, ‘You have coached in the NFD, you’ve promoted a team, you qualified for top eight for three seasons in a row, you have never coached a team that was struggling, so why can’t you take the challenge?'” he continued.

“So that is my inspiration, taking the challenge, to take Marumo out of the relegation zone and making it the top eight contenders,” Mohafe added.

His remarks underline that the move to Gallants is, in his view, less a risk than a deliberate step towards testing himself in a difficult environment, with the explicit goal of turning a relegation-threatened side into a team capable of pushing for the upper half of the table.

Sundowns debut delayed

Mohafe had been preparing for a demanding first assignment in charge, with Gallants scheduled to face Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday in the Betway Premiership.

However, that fixture has been postponed and will now be played on 19 August, delaying his touchline debut for his new club.

The rescheduling offers Mohafe a little extra time to work with his squad as he begins a tenure that he openly acknowledges will stretch him more than his successful but increasingly comfortable spell at Polokwane City.