Promotion-winning coach Kgoloko Thobejane has been confirmed as a guest speaker at an upcoming coaching seminar organised by Real Native FC assistant coach Foster ‘Jay Jay’ Hlungwani.
The seminar, designed to empower grassroots trainers and unearth raw talent in rural communities, will take place on 10 and 11 November 2026 at Bungeni Stadium in Limpopo.
Speaking to FARPost, Hlungwani explained that inviting experienced figures like Thobejane—who previously coached him at Baroka FC during the 2010/11 season—is vital for passing on practical knowledge to aspiring coaches.
“He’s a motivator, that’s one thing for sure,” Hlungwani told this publication. “With him as a teacher of football, you will understand the human relations that have to be kept intact. He was not more of a tactical or technical coach, but he is one of the best motivators.”
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Hlungwani, who operates through the Amukelani Hlongwane Foundation, highlighted that Limpopo has fallen behind other South African provinces in player production due to a lack of coach development at the grassroots level.
“The first thing is obviously to look at the development of football in our era,” Hlungwani explained. “We must also look at the events that are being created—are we creating enough players for the highest level? The answer is no, we are not. We have regressed as a province.
“If you look at provinces like KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape, they are ahead of us. So the most important thing is to look at the development of coaches because they are the custodians of those talents. We agreed on an initiative through the Amukelani Hlongwane Foundation to create opportunities for all coaches in our rural areas.”
Besides Thobejane, the event boasts a stellar lineup of veteran mentors, including former Bafana Bafana assistant coach Owen Da Gama, The Bees coach Joel Masutha, Polokwane City FC coach Willy Moloto, Venda FC development coach Justice Mutileni, and former Venda FC assistant Solly Luvhengo.
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The seminar will also blend practical field wisdom with modern sports science, featuring analytical contributions from Kruger United’s Calvin Kadi, Hleketo Ashla Maluleka (Orbit College), Gavin Masashana [Leicesterford City FC], and Gomora United biokineticist Boitumelo Mapoulo.
“The vision was to bring in all the experienced coaches with expertise for networking and mentorship—to share their practical experiences on how they develop players,” Hlungwani added. “Look at coach Owen Da Gama, Joel Masutha, Solly Luvhengo, and Kgoloko Thobejane—the number of players they produced from rural areas is immense. They managed to produce great players with limited resources.
“We should not forget about the modern game and what is required today, because you cannot leave the scientific aspect behind,” he emphasised.
Hlungwani is no stranger to South African football, having featured as a player for Baroka FC, Winner Park, and Dynamos. He was notably part of the famous Baroka squad that stunned Kaizer Chiefs in the quarter-finals of the 2011 Nedbank Cup at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
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