TS Galaxy head coach Adnan Beganovic has confirmed that the club has reached a final verdict on Phakamani Mahlambi following the attacker’s assessment period with the Rockets.
The 28-year-old was trying his luck at the Rockets since November 2025 until recently, as he pushed to revive his career following years of inactivity. He last played competitive football in September 2021 while at Chippa United.
Injuries and off-field problems were the major obstacles in his career and kept him away from the game for an extended period. However, TS Galaxy have been keen on handing him a lifeline.
Having previously played for Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly at the height of his career, Mahlambi faces what looks like a monumental task to restore himself.
Besides the support of TS Galaxy players and technical staff, helping Mahlambi in his bid to reinvent himself has also been his younger brother Seluleko, who is also at the club. The left winger is one of the top-performing stars at the Rockets.
For a club seeking to replace Puso Dithejane, a fit-again Mahlambi would have been the ideal right winger.
BEGANOVIC REVEALS TS GALAXY’S DECISION ON MAHLAMBI
“I want to be honest, and I spoke about it already. You know, TS Galaxy is a club that wants and tries to give second chances,” said Beganovic.
“I know how difficult and tough it is when you have it in life, and you lose it, and then you try to come back in the right way. It’s so difficult. We really tried, when I had a meeting with the chairman, we spoke about Phakamani.
“I said, ‘okay no problem, let’s try’. First of all, he needs to be a good human being. I want all the players to have good human being skills in our team. I said, ‘let’s give him time, one, two, three months to see if he can recover his body to be on that [high] level.’
“The PSL professional level needs that level for the players. Then we tried to work with him slowly, step by step. It’s so difficult because you can’t push him to overload; he can get a big injury, and then he can lose everything,” the Bosnian went on.
“We still tried to work with him. After two months, we analysed everything, we collected GPS data, training sessions, friendly games, and we decided that it’s difficult to get him to the level we need for the PSL, for our team.
“I just took the decision, we don’t have time. One year to train with some players and then to think maybe he can help us, he can sign for us. It’s not like that.”
BEGANOVIC’S RECOMMENDATION TO MAHLAMBI
Beganovic has issued some advice to Mahlambi to return to his best self away from TS Galaxy.
“In my personal opinion, I think he lost a lot in the last couple of years when he tried to find himself. I don’t know what he does in his private life, but he has probably struggled a lot, and it’s so difficult to bring him to the top,” the 42-year-old coach continued.
“If he stays healthy and focused, probably he needs one or two years. I said to him that he needs to find a club to start playing games.
“In the PSL, obviously, it’s difficult because every game can be crucial. Then I took the decision.
“It’s better for him to find a club in the second or third division to start playing games. Only some games can bring him confidence and to that level to try and catch a PSL club.”
RELATED STORY: Personal tragedy derails Phakamani Mahlambi’s attempt to revive career