Bafana Bafana’s New Era Under Pitso Mosimane Brings Telling Change, Says Former Pirates Captain
- Pitso Mosimane’s return has brought a different dynamic to the Bafana Bafana squad after the team’s opening AFCON qualifier
- A former Pirates captain has noticed a shift among the players, with competition for places becoming an important talking point
- Bafana Bafana have started the new qualifying campaign with a win, but there is still one area the team needs to improve
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Pitso Mosimane’s return to Bafana Bafana has brought a noticeable change in the national team, with former Orlando Pirates captain Eugene Zwane pointing to increased hunger and competition among the players.
Mosimane began his second spell in charge with a 2-1 victory over Guinea at Orlando Stadium on Saturday, 26 September 2026. Ime Okon and Samukele Kabini scored for South Africa in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
Speaking to KickOff, Zwane said the new coach had already created a different atmosphere around the squad.
Pitso Mosimane brings more competition
“Pitso's arrival has stimulated a little bit of hunger and competition,” Zwane told KickOff.
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He explained that Mosimane’s arrival had changed the dynamic for players who may previously have been familiar selections under former coach Hugo Broos.
“With Pitso, all that is changing now,” Zwane said.
The former Pirates captain added that the change could be seen in the effort the players are producing.
“You can see the hunger in the boys; they are pushing a little bit harder,” he said.
Eugene Zwane highlights Bafana Bafana depth
Zwane also pointed to the depth available to Mosimane, particularly after several established players were unavailable. He mentioned Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Khuliso Mudau and Thalente Mbatha, noting that their absence had not left Bafana short of options.
“We're also seeing a large pool of players,” Zwane said.
However, he stressed that the team still needs to become more clinical after creating opportunities in the final third.
“We just need to score goals, we need to be a goal-scoring Bafana team,” Zwane added.
Source: Twitter
Bafana Bafana face Eritrea next
South Africa's next test comes against Eritrea in Egypt on Wednesday, 30 September. Zwane believes the early signs are encouraging but cautioned against drawing conclusions from one match.
“Okay, one game is not enough, we will see over the next couple of games,” he said.
Bafana will therefore have another opportunity to build on the Guinea victory and show whether the increased competition and hunger Zwane identified can translate into consistent performances during the AFCON qualifying campaign.
Bafana Bafana climb FIFA rankings and enter Africa’s top 10
Briefly News also reported that Bafana Bafana’s latest results have coincided with a change in their FIFA ranking.
South Africa have climbed four places from 54th to 50th in the latest live rankings, with their points tally increasing from 1,451.25 to 1,460.12.
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Source: Briefly News
