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

“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.”

Hit the ground running

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.

Second stint

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. But if we’re all honest as coaches and human beings, there is always room for improvement,” Mosimane said of his initial vision for the team.

“You have seen the way the team played in the 2026 World Cup. Everyone has an opinion that it could have been better. The minute we say it cannot be better, we are arrogant and can fall into our comfort zone,” the former Sundowns coach stated.

“I have my own way of working and I have my experience; I’ve been around.”

Safa reaction

Safa knew for months before Broos’ departure that the 74-year-old would not stay on. Broos had expressed that, at his age, being away from his Belgium-based family was not easy. He had stated clearly and concisely that the Bafana job would most likely be his last – as a head coach, at least.

In July, reports circulated that Safa was trying to convince Broos to remain at the helm for another year after he had helped Bafana qualify for their first World Cup in 16 years.

The custodian of South African soccer vehemently denied this.

“Safa has learnt with concern of reports and rumours being circulated by respected media houses alleging that Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has been offered or issued a one-year contract extension. Safa wishes to categorically state that these reports are false, unfounded and misleading,” the federation said.

Then, on 31 July, Broos officially bid farewell to South African soccer after fulfilling his mandate to restore pride in Bafana Bafana.

Before his tenure, owing to multiple failures to qualify for major competitions the team had become a joke, even among South Africans. However, under Broos that changed tremendously. Perhaps that is why Safa is rumoured to have been hoping to convince the Belgian to remain.

However, this caused delays in the appointment of Broos’ successor, and there was uncertainty as to who would be on the Bafana bench when they begin their Afcon 2027 qualification journey.

Mosimane had long been strongly linked with the vacant post, and in August, Safa’s national executive committee (NEC) endorsed his appointment. He was one of a handful of candidates that technical committee chairperson Jack Maluleke’s team had spoken to.

“The NEC has approved the appointment of coach Pitso to Bafana Bafana, but we still need to tie up some loose ends. We will make a formal announcement of the coach next week,” Jordaan announced on 8 August.

Weeks later after that announcement, negotiations between Mosimane and Safa were still ongoing.

Initially they stalled because Safa offered the experienced South African coach an annual salary of R5-million. Broos was said to be earning R16.8-million before his departure. Both Mosimane and Safa declined to disclose the financial terms of the deal that was eventually signed. DM