Relebohile Mofokeng is going to Belgium. Royale Union Saint-Gilloise officially confirmed the signing of the Orlando Pirates attacking midfielder on a four-year deal Thursday — and with it, South African football's most anticipated European transfer is finally done.
Pirates had telegraphed this one earlier in the week, announcing an agreement in principle had been reached before the FIFA World Cup. Personal terms and a medical dragged the announcement out, which had some fans nervous. They needn't have been. At 20-odd years old and coming off back-to-back standout seasons in the PSL, Mofokeng was always going to find his club. Union Saint-Gilloise — a genuine Europa League-level outfit — is a smart landing spot. Not a vanity move to a mid-table European club. A real football project.
Pirates Losing Two, Potentially Three
Mofokeng isn't the only Pirates player with eyes on Portugal. Evidence Makgopa is being linked with Sporting CP, and Oswin Appollis with FC Porto. If all three moves go through, Orlando Pirates will have shipped out three Bafana Bafana regulars in a single window. That's not a squad refresh — that's a rebuild. Their attacking depth and overall squad price in the PSL betting markets will look very different come August.
Meanwhile, Kaizer Chiefs striker Tashreeq Morris is heading to Durban City, set to reunite with former Amakhosi assistant Khalil Ben Youssef, who recently joined the KwaZulu-Natal club as part of their technical overhaul. Morris was never truly trusted as a first-choice striker at Chiefs. Whether that's on him or the system around him, Durban City are clearly betting it was the latter.
Sundowns Say Goodbye, Sekhukhune Start Over
The other big name now without a club is Peter Shalulile. Mamelodi Sundowns decided against renewing the 32-year-old Namibian striker's contract, and he leaves Chloorkop as one of the most prolific forwards the PSL has produced. The goals, the titles, the Footballer of the Year awards — the CV is substantial. At 32 and on a free, he'll attract interest. The question is whether anyone offers him the kind of contract that reflects what he was, or what he is now.
Sekhukhune United, for their part, appear to be tearing the whole thing down and starting again. Over 10 players released. Club captain Linda Mntambo retired. Goalkeeper Renaldo Leaner gone. The technical team — including Andre Arendse, Marc van Heerden, and analyst Kyle Solomon — all cleared out following Eric Tinkler's departure. Cedric Kaze, previously at Kaizer Chiefs, comes in as the new head coach tasked with making sense of the rubble.
That's a lot of change for a club that was never quite consistent enough to begin with. Kaze has a reputation as a thoughtful tactician. He's going to need every bit of it.
