Thabiso Monyane’s youth coach, Mandla Qhogi, has reflected on his rise at Kaizer Chiefs and his return to the Bafana Bafana setup.
Qhogi coached Monyane during his stint with Orlando Pirates Reserve side in the 2019/2020 season.
The talented right-back signed for Amakhosi on a free transfer in July this year. This comes after he cut ties with Orlando Pirates following 13 years of marriage.
Although regarded as one of the Pirates’ best right-backs, Monyane’s tenure at the Buccaneers was consistently affected by injuries, which impacted his playing time at the club.
However, since his arrival at the Glamour Boys in this transfer window period, he has become an instant hit, dishing out stellar displays for the Nasreddine Nabi-coached side. So far, he has played in five matches out of the six games that Chiefs has played in the current campaign. In those five encounters he featured in, he helped the team to keep five clean sheets.
Monyane only missed their Betway Premiership tie against Sekhukhune United on Tuesday, 16 September at the FNB Stadium due to an injury, as previously reported by FARPost. Chiefs went on to suffer a 3-1 defeat to Babina Noko.
His satisfying performances at Chiefs caught the attention of Bafana head coach Hugo Broos, who called the 25-year-old defender back into the national team, replacing Nyiko Mobbie, who had sustained an injury against Lesotho in the just-ended FIFA international break.
Monyane came off the bench to feature against Nigeria in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier tie, replacing Zuko Mdunyelwa in the 63rd minute of the showdown.
MANDLA QHOGI ON THABISO MONYANE’S FORM AT CHIEFS AND EARNING BAFANA CAILL UP AGAIN
Qhogi shared his enthusiasm at witnessing Monyane back in his peak form and rejoining the national team, doing what he enjoys most: playing football.
“I’m very excited for him. I was happy when he got the opportunity to join another big club, which is Kaizer Chiefs. I think the Chiefs move was a good one. If it hadn’t been for that move, the only option would have been to go overseas,” Qhogi told FARPost.
“I remember he had opportunities to go overseas in previous seasons when he was still at Pirates, but he opted to stay a little bit longer at the club. So, for him, getting the Chiefs move was very important and a great one.
“With the national team, I was very happy to see him with around five players that I have worked with. I’m talking about Lyle Foster, Relebohile Mofokeng, Mohau Nkota, Samkelo Kabini, and a lot of other players.”
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