Rulani MokwenaBackpagepix

Mokwena must forget about Orlando Pirates and focus on growing from Mamelodi Sundowns

Rhulani Mokwena has gone back 'home'! Well, it's his home because this is the team that gave him the exposure for South Africa to take notice of his amazing talent and potential as a coach and that's Mamelodi Sundowns. 

While he called Orlando Pirates his home for many years, it's Sundowns that Mokwena should be grateful for - for always having his back. 

The Brazilians never stood in Mokwena's way when he asked for permission to grow as a coach and realise the dream of working for the club of his forefathers - the Sonos. 

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And they still welcomed him back when things didn't go according to plan because they know and understand him better. 

But props should go to Pitso Mosimane for his big heart and unselfishness to want to work with Mokwena again - a different coach would have taken a different decision. 

In all honesty, Mosimane didn't need Mokwena as his right-hand man to win trophies or turn Sundowns into world-beaters because they still managed to win trophies even without him in the last three years. 

Mokwena wanted to grow and he has - depending on how you look at it from the distance but at this stage of his career, he needed someone and a club that would appreciate him more - and that club is Sundowns and the person behind it is Mosimane. 

Percy Tau and Rhulani Mokwena  of Mamelodi Sundowns Media Day on 16 February 2017BackpagePix

Some would say his first two seasons were a success at Pirates while others would agree that the final 12 months of his contract with the Soweto giants weren't really what Mokwena expected or would brag about because they were difficult - but he surely learned hardship from that period. 

Like many ambitious coaches, the 35-year-old just wanted success when he left Sundowns for the Buccaneers three seasons ago, and he cannot be blamed for wanting to be his own man - but perhaps that came too early for him.

Micho Sredojevic's sudden departure from Bucs in August 2019 shocked Mokwena and left him vulnerable then the club threw him into the deep end and expected miracles from him when it was clear that he wasn't prepared to carry the hopes of millions of supporters hungry for trophies.

But when Pirates appointed Josef Zinnbauer in December, they totally forgot about Mokwena and the impact he had on the majority of players in the squad - and the entire focus shifted on the new coach and what he was bringing to the club. 

And that's perhaps when Mokwena felt he wasn't appreciated enough at the club - and this was evident in Zinnbauer's first match against Black Leopards where he looked distant on the bench before taking a sabbatical between December 2019 and March this year. 

Rhulani Mokwena of Orlando PiratesBackpagepix

In one of his rare tell-all interviews with Lesedi FM, Mokwena revealed he wasn't going to be able to work in the same environment with Zinnbauer because of the way the German mentor does things - but this is where the Pirates management including Dr Irvin Khoza should have stepped in to intervene and convince this young coach to stay - but this clearly wasn't the case.

And instead, they decided to loan him out to Chippa United, and when his contract expired, they let him go - and there was never even an official statement to at least thank Mokwena for his contribution to the club. 

Mokwena will be criticised for going back to Sundowns when he should have waited for a call from a PSL team for the head coaching job - but there's nothing wrong with what he did - after all, so many coaches have been coaches and assistants in the past, including his colleagues - Mosimane and Manqoba Mngqithi.  

Mosimane went from being a successful head coach at SuperSport United to being an assistant at Bafana Bafana while Mngqithi was an experienced head coach when he joined Sundowns as an assistant over six years ago.

This move buys Mokwena time and gives him an opportunity to learn more about the challenges coaches face - and when his time arrives, he would certainly be in a better position to stand on his own.  

He may get another chance to go back to Pirates in the next few years - but he should not rush it after his experiences in the last three years - he should forget about the club and what it means to him and his family and focus on his growth as a coach at Sundowns.

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