Treble-chasing Rhulani Mokwena backed to 'handle Kaizer Chiefs' as ex-Orlando Pirates coach knows Amakhosi's 'culture' after successful Mamelodi Sundowns stint

Kaizer Chiefs have been struggling to get the basics right, from the playing unit to the technical team, owing to their struggles to deliver on the pitch. 

At the beginning of the 2024/25 season, Nasreddine Nabi was brought to Naturena to help change Amakhosi's fortune around. Well, he delivered the Nedbank Cup, but the team finished in an unconvincing ninth position in the Premier Soccer League log. 

He was let go just six PSL games into the 2025/26 season, with Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef serving, at least until the end of the ongoing edition, as confirmed by the Glamour Boys' Sporting Director Kaizer Motaung Jr. 

Coach Rhulani Mokwena is among the tacticians who have been heavily linked with a move to Chiefs despite being contracted by the People's Club. 

He is currently in charge of an Alger side looking to win the Algerian Ligue 1, Algerian Cup and CAF Champions League.

Mokwena initially coached Kaizer Chiefs' archrivals, Orlando Pirates, before going back to Mamelodi Sundowns, where he won two Premier Soccer League titles, as well as the inaugural African Football League (AFL) trophy.

According to former Wydad Casablanca Technical Director Allan Freese, Mokwena knows the Naturena surroundings quite well, making him a suitable candidate.

"Yes, he is a South African, and he knows the culture of Chiefs, he knows what Chiefs is all about," he said in his interview with Soccer Laduma.

"So he can handle Chiefs. I don't have a doubt. 

"He has coached Mamelodi Sundowns, though it could not be the same as Chiefs in terms of support and other things, but he has what it takes to coach Chiefs," Freese added.

At MC Alger, Mokwena is chasing three major trophies: the Algerian Ligue 1 crown, the domestic Cup, and the CAF Champions League, where they are currently in the group stage.

Freese wonders why the 38-year-old can even consider an offer from Kaizer Chiefs if it came his way.

"I don't know. Why would you leave the work you are enjoying to come to Chiefs?" the experienced administrator continued.

"Why would you want to come to Chiefs now at the moment? Why must he leave, then come back now, while he is doing well? 

Maybe the timing is not right, or whatever you say." 

In his recent interview, Amakhosi official Bobby Motaung stressed that stability remains a priority in their decision on the co-coaches.

The Soweto giants do not want to make changes in their technical team as a cautious move aimed at not unsettling the squad by appointing a new coach who might overhaul existing systems.   

This has seen the club backing continuity by trusting Kaze and Ben Youssef, who have been there from the start of this season.

Motaung insists the team is moving in the right direction and showing signs of improvement.     

"We don't want to disrupt the team by bringing in a new coach who will come in and want to do things differently from what we do," said Motaung as per Isolezwe.

"Coaches want to do their own thing, they want to bring in their own team. These two guys have been in the team since the beginning and we are building on that. We want to move forward and I believe that the team is improving," he added.

He further stated there are no plans to sign a new player, unless an exceptional talent comes their way.

"We will not say no if a special player comes along. Should that happen, we will consider," Motaung added.

"We are satisfied with our current squad, because some of our players had injuries, but they are back now. We signed a lot of players at the beginning of the season, and some of them have not played yet.

"It's not easy to join Chiefs; it takes time for some players to settle. They need to get used to the team [first] for everything to go accordingly. We do not want to keep on changing our squad," he concluded.