Polokwane City FC head coach Willy Moloto has put an end to the intense speculation surrounding Thabang Matuludi, confirming the Bafana Bafana defender will remain at the club following a crucial face-to-face sit-down.
Matuludi’s future at the club remains the talk of the town amid reported interest from Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns ahead of the 2026/27 season. Despite the speculation, the 27-year-old has rejoined his teammates for pre-season training after returning from the 2026 FIFA World Cup duty with Bafana Bafana. He was part of the historic national squad that broke new ground by advancing to the World Cup knockout rounds for the very first time.
The highly-rated right back was in action on Saturday, 25 July, as Rise and Shine suffered a 1-0 defeat to Sekhukhune United in the inaugural Mafori Cup at Seshego Stadium.
Speaking to journalists ahead of the Mafori Cup tournament, Moloto revealed details of a private discussion with Matuludi, in which the player assured him of his commitment to stay at Polokwane City.
POLOKWANE CITY FC COACH ISSUES UPDATE ON KEY DEFENDER THABANG MATULUDI
“Thabang is staying with the team. He and I had a meeting, and he was happy to see me back at the club,” said Moloto.
“We have a good history, so he also wants to be part of the team to help me achieve what I want to achieve. Even with Tlou [Nkwe], these are players everyone is always talking about. But I have spoken to them and asked where their minds are.
“They asked me what I want as a coach, and I told them I need to work with them. You can see now when you look at the national team, it’s no longer about players playing for the big teams to get a call-up,” he added.
WHY WILLY MOLOTO ENCOURAGED THABANG MATULUDI TO STAY AT THE BETWAY PREMIERSHIP CLUB
“So I told them that they need to be here, work and play regularly, and opportunities will come. It doesn’t make any sense that you go to a bigger team, but at the end of the day, you just get a salary, and you don’t achieve your goals.
“So football nowadays is about opportunities, goals and representing your country is one of the biggest things that every player wants to achieve. So Thabang is staying, Nkwe is staying. All the players are still there with the team.”
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