African Stars head coach Ronnie Kanalelo remained in South Africa after the weekend’s CAF Champions League assignment to finalise his move to Marumo Gallants, FARPost has established.
Kanalelo was in the dugout as the Namibian champions completed a dramatic comeback against Gabonese outfit AS Mangasport at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday. African Stars hosted the tie in Tshwane because Namibia has no stadium that meets CAF standards.
However, the former Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper did not travel back to Namibia with the team. FARPost has learned that African Stars are aware of Kanalelo’s talks with Gallants and will not stand in his way if the remaining contractual matters are resolved.
Gallants have reached an agreement in principle with the highly rated Namibian coach, who could be on the bench against Orlando Pirates this weekend if the move is completed.
Bahlabane Ba Ntwa moved swiftly to find a replacement after parting ways with Phuti Mohafe last Wednesday following a difficult start to the 2026/27 Betway Premiership campaign.
Bulgarian tactician Dimitar Pantev was initially Gallants’ preferred candidate. However, the two parties could not find common ground, prompting the club to turn its attention to Kanalelo.
KANALELO CLOSES IN ON GALLANTS MOVE
Interestingly, Kanalelo’s next continental assignment with African Stars would have been against Pirates in the CAF Champions League second preliminary round. The Buccaneers are scheduled to visit the Namibian champions for the first leg between 16 and 18 October, with the return fixture taking place the following weekend.
Instead, Kanalelo could face Pirates much sooner as Gallants’ new head coach. He returned to African Stars for a second spell after spending last season with Ongos FC. Kanalelo joined Ongos in November 2025 and guided them to a fourth-place finish in the 2025/26 Namibia Premier Football League campaign.
His immediate task at Gallants would be to revive a side still searching for its first league win of the season. The North West outfit has picked up just two points from their opening six matches, with two draws and four defeats.
That poor run cost Mohafe his position, and Gallants now hope Kanalelo can steady the ship and steer them away from the wrong end of the table.
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