Former Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has explained why he believes Relebohile Mofokeng made the right decision by moving to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium.
Mofokeng recently completed a transfer to the Belgian Jupiler Pro League side from Orlando Pirates. Fresh from a 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with Bafana Bafana, the 21-year-old jetted to Belgium, where he committed to a four-year deal.
He joins former Pirates teammates Mohau Nkota and Mbekezeli Mbokazi, who secured moves to overseas clubs in the past year. With Mofokeng and Nkota being 21-year-olds and Mbokazi 20, the trio represents the future of South African football.
While Mbokazi and Nkota were highly expected to move to Europe, they instead opted for Major League Soccer [MLS] and the Saudi Pro League, respectively. But Mofokeng has broken into Europe, joining Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, who will be participating in the UEFA Champions League group stage qualifiers.
The transfer to Belgium follows an impressive 2025/26 season with the Buccaneers in which he was influential in their Betway Premiership title triumph.
BELGIUM A LAND OF OPPORTUNITIES: MOSIMANE JUSTIFIES RELEBOHILE MOFOKENG’S TRANSFER
Having previously been on trial at then-English Premiership side Wolverhampton Wanderers, Mofokeng heightened expectations on him to go to a bigger league. But he ended up going to Belgium, and Mosimane shares his opinion on the transfer.
“Countries like Belgium, where Rele has gone to, that’s where Percy [Tau] came from. Percy started there, and Belgium has launched a lot of players and then gave them opportunities to big leagues,” said Mosimane on Smash Sports.
“Even themselves, the Belgians, the likes of [Romelu] Lukaku, Kevin de Bruyne, [Youri] Tielemans, you have to play in Belgium to do that. Belgium is also friendly to our Africans; the rules are much better. It’s not like in England, where you have to have 70 or 80 per cent [senior national team] caps in the last two years or a year. I don’t know how that criterion is now. So, it’s not easy for our players to get there.”
PITSO MOSIMANE ECHOES BAFANA BAFANA COACH HUGO BROOS’ CALL
Despite Betway Premiership players holding their own on the global stage and justifying how the PSL is a strong and competitive league, Mosimane feels more South African players should play in Europe.
Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has continuously beat the drum for more South African players to secure moves to Europe. However, the domestic top-flight continues to prove its immense strength on both the continental and global stages. The PSL notably provided more players within CAF than any other league at the 2019, 2023, and 2025 AFCON tournaments.
In addition, South Africa ranks in the global top five—and number one in Africa—for the highest number of locally-based players selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, further underscoring the deep talent pool thriving right at home.
“But we need more players to go to Europe, let’s be honest. Yes, give players a chance. Orlando Pirates have enough players, Sundowns have enough players,” Mosimane went on.
“Let the boys go and play in Europe, and let’s increase the space here at home so that some will come. Let them move. I’m so happy that Orlando Pirates are now showing that when you play for Orlando Pirates, from wherever you come from, you will be given a chance to play overseas.
“That’s good for Orlando Pirates, and it’s good for the country. We need the players; we have a lot of players who are top players that we need for Bafana.”
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