Rhulani Mokwena reflects on his coaching journey and narrates how Orlando Pirates decision was 'the most painful moment in my career' as he hopes 'Patrice Motsepe and Irvin Khoza forgive me for the mistakes I’ve made'

Rhulani Mokwena was Orlando Pirates’ caretaker coach in 2019 for 14 games before Josef Zinnbauer was brought in as the new head coach. 

In those 14 matches, he guided the Buccaneers to four wins, five draws and as many defeats in all competitions.

Before stepping into that temporary role, he had been serving as Milutin Sredojevic’s assistant at the Soweto giants. 

Mokwena has openly spoken about how deeply it hurt him to be removed from the stand-in position when he appeared to be headed to be the substantive head coach. 

Following that difficult Buccaneers stint, he returned to Mamelodi Sundowns to work once again under Pitso Mosimane as an assistant coach. 

His rise continued at Chloorkop when he was later appointed the Brazilians’ head coach. 

Despite guiding Masandawana to the CAF Champions League semi-finals and securing the Premier Soccer League title two seasons ago, he was, however, dismissed by the club. 

Now, Mokwena is forging a new path in Algeria, where he is in charge of MC Alger, after spending last season at Wydad Casablanca.

“I was head coach, but Pirates after 13 games [sic] decided they wanted a different coach – someone more experienced,” Mokwena said on the African Five-a-Side Podcast.

“I don’t talk a lot about it but it was probably the most painful moment in my career, stepping down from Pirates.    

“Even though the chairman, Dr. Khoza was insistent of me to stay but how things had happened and many things happened in that time, hurt me a lot, a lot.    

“So my career, in that time, I don’t think I was thinking about anything else but being on the pitch and finding happiness for football once again, and I could’ve gone to Black Leopards but it was not possible," added the 38-year-old.    

“Then I got the opportunity to go to Chippa, but it was not even about the club, not even about… It was just about finding love for football again, being on the pitch again and coaching again.  

“Because I was worse, and still today I’m deeply scared by what happened and that’s why I don’t talk a lot about it.  

“The conditions and the context to go to Chippa was completely different and then I was fortunate enough to go back to Sundowns.”

 “I’m grateful, I know I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for my time at Mamelodi Sundowns, and Orlando Pirates,” Mokwena continued.    

“Both Dr Khoza, Dr Patrice Motsepe… Maybe that is why leaving both clubs has hurt me so much. Still to today it evokes a lot of pain, when I think about my time when I had to leave.    

“But you only experience pain when there is a deep devotion. There is love and a certain connotation that money cannot buy. That is because of my appreciation… and I hope they know this – I hope Dr Khoza knows this, I hope Dr Patrice Motsepe knows this, and the family.    

“I hope they know, I might have made mistakes, for sure, and I hope they forgive me for the mistakes that I’ve made. And also, I hope they know there are many, many things that hurt me, as a personal human being, not as a coach – hurt me, deeply," he concluded.  

“But I think I will find, as time goes, the space of forgiveness, because we have to forgive and move on. But I hope fundamentally that I appreciate them.”

Mokwena is now preparing to lead MC Alger against his former team Sundowns in a CAF Champions League Group C match at home on Friday.

Having lost their group opener against Al Hilal last week, Mokwena would be hoping Sundowns will not hand them a second straight defeat.