Talks of Pitso Mosimane & Rhulani Mokwena Replacing Hugo Broos Silenced! South Africa's high-ranking government official affirms Bafana Bafana coach is 'going nowhere' ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup, but slams Belgian

Bafana Bafana's journey in the biennial continental competition ended prematurely as they fell to the five-time winners last weekend.  

Coach Hugo Broos was blamed for the 2-1 loss against Cameroon's Indomitable Lions, who are now among the eight teams that made it to the quarter-final.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup - to be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, coming in June- questions are being asked on whether Broos is the right person to take the country forward.

Interestingly, speculations have it that Pitso Mosimane and Rhulani Mokwena might do the job in the forthcoming global competition where South Africa has been placed in Group A.

This is not what was anticipated before the competition, after the team had gone 27 games across all competitions without tasting defeat.

Nevertheless, Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie has rubbished reports that Broos' future at Bafana Bafana is not assured.

“Go back a few years; Hugo Broos truly woke up Bafana Bafana," he said in his interview with the media.  

"I hear people are saying, ‘Now it’s time for Hugo Broos to go … to go where? Hugo Broos is going nowhere. Hugo Broos is going to Mexico [to the FIFA World Cup]; that is where he is going. This mentality of constantly changing coaches is unacceptable. 

"The national team is not a joke. “Hugo Broos has come in and put in a solid structure in our national team. Furthermore, how do you blame the coach if players don’t score?” McKenzie added.

The Sports Minister has further revealed his disappointment with Broos for the sentiments he made.  

The former Cameroon coach claimed the Moroccans had no vibe as opposed to the previous competitions. He further questioned the logistics by CAF, which he claimed was not well thought out.

“I was very annoyed with the coach of Bafana Bafana. I’m going to be straight with you; I was highly annoyed. You don’t do that," McKenzie added. 

“You don’t go into a person’s country and insult them; nobody should do that; it is not collegial. It is wrong. He’s in the hotel. How does he see the vibe outside?

“We saw the vibe. It was very wrong, and I want to apologise to the Moroccans on behalf of his utterances; you don’t do that. 

“You don’t insult people in front of the whole world that has welcomed us with such open arms. The Moroccans have done a sterling job," he concluded. 

When the Bafana Bafana team's news came out before the Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 duel against Cameroon, it was clear Hugo Broos preferred a more defensive approach.

The 3-4-3 formation saw some players deployed not in their natural positions, with an example of Mbekezeli Mbokazi playing as a full-back, and instructions looked pretty clear: man-mark Bryan Mbeumo.

After the 2-1 loss, coach Hugo Broos opened up that some players were unhappy, but he has since stated the technical team is going to analyse the performance and make necessary adjustments.

“I will not give a comment on that [the starting XI]. And secondly, it’s not strange that when players are replaced, some are not happy. I am not going to make declarations through emotions or frustration," Broos told the media. 

“When you are emotional, sometimes you say things you regret afterwards, so I will not do that. We will make a detailed evaluation in the upcoming days and weeks of what was good and not good in Morocco at AFCON. 

"We will see what we need to change and what not to change because in six months there is the World Cup, and we need to be ready for that," Broos added.