Pitso Mosimane is Bafana Bafana head coach again. SAFA made it official on Tuesday, handing the 62-year-old a five-year deal and the job of continuing where Hugo Broos left off — except Broos actually got South Africa to a World Cup, which is a standard Mosimane's first stint never came close to meeting.
That first stint ended in June 2012, and it didn't end well. Bafana failed to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations after playing for a draw against Sierra Leone — a draw they mistakenly believed would be enough to go through. It wasn't. Then came a 1-1 home draw against Ethiopia in 2014 World Cup qualifying, and that was that. Sixteen matches, six wins, seven draws, three defeats, and no wins in the final seven.
That's the chapter Mosimane now has the chance to rewrite.
A very different CV from 2012
The man returning to the Bafana dugout in 2025 is barely recognisable from the one who left under a cloud 13 years ago. Three CAF Champions League titles — including back-to-back with Al Ahly — plus sustained success with Mamelodi Sundowns and stints in the Middle East have turned Mosimane into one of the most decorated coaches African football has produced. He's not coming back as a project. He's coming back as the finished article.
His technical staff is taking shape too. Musi Matlaba and Kabelo Rangoaga are already confirmed as assistants, with an additional assistant coach and a goalkeeper coach still to be appointed.
Group D won't be easy — and the Kenya fixture is personal
Mosimane won't have long to settle in. South Africa's 2027 Afcon qualifying campaign begins later this month in Group D alongside Guinea, Eritrea, and Kenya. That last fixture carries an edge: Benni McCarthy is in charge of Kenya, setting up a home-and-away double-header in November that will generate more column inches than any qualifier at this stage normally deserves.
The schedule opens against Guinea in September, then Eritrea in early October, before the McCarthy reunion in November. Group D is winnable — Eritrea are there for the taking, Guinea are beatable — but underestimating any qualifier is exactly how Bafana end up watching tournaments on television.
- South Africa vs Guinea — September (date and venue TBC)
- South Africa vs Eritrea — early October
- South Africa vs Kenya — November (home and away)
Mosimane's appointment was the worst-kept secret in South African football for weeks, with SAFA's National Executive Committee having backed him nearly a month before Tuesday's official announcement. Contract negotiations dragged it out. Now there's nothing left to drag — the job is his, the group is set, and September arrives fast.
