Bafana Bafana head coach Stuart Baxter believes Orlando Pirates assistant coach Rhulani Mokwena has the potential to one day helm the senior national team.
Mokwena was invited to be an observer at this month’s four-nation friendly tournament in Zambia in an effort to give him experience of the national team setup.
Baxter believes it’s a great initiative to give local coaches exposure to international competition and has backed Mokwena to reach the heights of coaching at that level in the future.
“Rhulani is obviously one of the outstanding young coaches in the country‚” Baxter said‚ when announcing his squad for the tournament at Safa House.
“I would like to think he does have ambitions‚ and I would like to think that he can learn from the experience.”
He continued: “South Africa should be coached by a South African in a perfect world.
“And in lieu of there not being a suitable candidate at that moment‚ you can look elsewhere.
“I’m very proud and honoured to be the SA national team coach. But I think that it’s a part of my job and duty to empower those young South African coaches‚ the same as the young SA players.
“And maybe one day Rulani‚ or (Baxter’s assistant) Thabo Senong‚ will be the senior national coach.
“We won’t be asking Rulani to put together the gameplan so we can follow it. But we will be asking for his input.
“And I think‚ in the future‚ if he realises the talent he undoubtedly has‚ that it’s not impossible for him to be the senior national coach.”
