Heart of a Captain: Ronwen Williams’ touching gesture earns Relebohile Mofokeng Bafana debut
In a heartwarming display of leadership and camaraderie, Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams’ touching gesture earned Relebohile Mofokeng his much-awaited international debut.
Bafana coach Hugo Broos handed Relebohile Mofokeng his debut during South Africa’s 3-1 win over Zimbabwe. The two teams clashed in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier played at a fully packed Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein.
Iqraam Rayners opened the scoring in the 35th second before the visitors equalised a minute later. Two second-half goals by Thapelo Morena were enough to hand South Africa maximum points.
As the match wound down with a comfortable lead, cameras caught Williams urgently conferring with Broos. The Bafana mentor later revealed Williams was passionately advocating for the Orlando Pirates prodigy to get some game time.
Teboho Mokoena intentionally sent the ball out of play to allow Mofokeng to step onto the pitch for the final minutes.
BROOS CONFIRMS RONWEN WILLIAMS’ TOUCHING GESTURE
“The captain came and said, ‘Coach, maybe for the last minutes Rele, what do you think?’. I said, ‘ok, good idea’,” Broos confirmed during the post-match press conference. “Therefore, Rele came in. That shows again how that atmosphere is in this group.
“I said it already, those are 23 friends. They’re not colleagues. If they can do [something] for someone, they can do it.”
Broos recalls that this is not the first time the Sundowns star did this. “He did it, I think, a year ago with Veli. He came out five minutes before the end, and Veli came in, I think. So now today he came and said, Rele. That shows again how the atmosphere is and how these guys treat each other.”
Interestingly, Mofokeng recently scored the winning goal against Williams’ club, Sundowns, in the Nedbank Cup final. The Bafana captain’s actions showcased the unity and team spirit within the national squad, transcending club rivalries.
Mofokeng earned his first national team call-up following his impressive performances for Orlando Pirates. As the final whistle blew, Bafana players headed for the tunnel, but Williams called them back to the pitch to acknowledge and thank the loyal fans who braved the chilly conditions to support them.
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