Polokwane City FC coach Phuti Mohafe has revealed how the recent Bafana Bafana recognition has helped his midfielder Rodney Maphangule grow in confidence.
Maphangule was recently named in the preliminary squad for the 2025 AFCON qualifiers. However, the 27-year-old did not make it to the final 23-man squad announced by coach Hugo Broos for the matches against South Sudan and Uganda.
Younger brother to former Orlando Pirates midfielder Meshack, Maphangule has established himself as a key player for Polokwane City since joining the club in 2021 after leaving Motsepe Foundation Championship side Black Leopards.
Under coach Mohafe, he has consistently been a regular starter.
Mohafe notes that Maphangule’s confidence has significantly improved following his recognition in the Bafana squad.
RODNEY MAPHANGULE GROWS IN CONFIDENCE AFTER RECOGNITION FROM BAFANA BAFANA COACH
“For him to be nominated shows that he works hard, and he worked hard to be selected,” said Mohafe. “I think even that selection gave him the confidence to continue doing well and working hard. The good thing that he is doing is keeping his head inside his shoulders.
“So it’s good for him to be selected, and that also shows that as a team, we are doing a great Job.”
Meanwhile, coach Mohafe has also acknowledged that they faced a challenge recently after a slump in form. They have not won in their last three matches, losing two and drawing one.
“We have a serious problem in our team, and I think we rectified it today,” added Mohafe.
“If you check, we are not scoring goals, and when we score, we don’t score enough. There is one goal there, and there are no goals sometimes. So, we need to get our scoring correct. If we can get that part correct, everything will be back to normal.”
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