Relebohile Mofokeng Flying For Club And Country After Bafana Brace

Relebohile Mofokeng’s first few months in Europe could hardly have gone much better. And now he’s producing the goods for Bafana Bafana as well.

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The 21-year-old continued his outstanding start to the 2026/27 season on Wednesday night, scoring twice as South Africa demolished Eritrea 5-0 in Cairo to maintain their perfect start to 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying.

Mofokeng scored both of Bafana’s first-half goals before Sphephelo Sithole, Iqraam Rayners and Luther Singh completed the rout after the break, giving Pitso Mosimane’s men six points from their opening two Group D matches.

It was another significant step in what is rapidly developing into a breakthrough season for one of South African football’s brightest talents.

Mofokeng Takes Centre Stage For Bafana

Mofokeng had threatened before eventually breaking the deadlock in the 19th minute.

Oswin Appollis found him with a well-weighted pass, and Mofokeng took control before finishing calmly into the bottom corner.

He wasn’t done.

Shortly before half-time, Mofokeng received a pass from Samukele Kabini, worked his way through the Eritrean defence and finished again to send South Africa into the interval with a commanding 2-0 advantage.

The brace set the tone for Bafana’s biggest away victory in AFCON qualifying history, surpassing their 4-0 win against Gambia in 2016. It was also South Africa’s fourth consecutive AFCON qualifying victory.

For Mofokeng, it was the latest evidence that his development is accelerating.

The former Orlando Pirates star has long been regarded as one of South African football’s most gifted young players. The challenge after leaving the PSL was always going to be translating that potential to European football.

So far, he’s doing exactly that.

No Time Needed To Settle In Belgium

Mofokeng joined Belgian champions Royale Union Saint-Gilloise ahead of the 2026/27 campaign after establishing himself as one of the PSL’s outstanding attacking talents with Orlando Pirates.

Rather than requiring months to adapt, the South African has made an immediate impact.

Mofokeng has scored three goals and supplied one assist in just 254 minutes across his first six Belgian Pro League appearances.

That equates to a league goal involvement roughly every 64 minutes.

His first league start produced his first goal as he found the net in a 3-0 victory over Sint-Truiden on 2 September. He followed that by scoring against Lommel before providing an assist in Union SG’s 2-0 away victory over Antwerp.

Mofokeng has also made his mark in Europe.

He scored in Union SG’s 3-0 Europa League victory over Viktoria Plzen, taking his early-season club tally to four goals and one assist across the competitions covered by FBref.

He has even tasted Champions League football, making a substitute appearance in the competition this season.

Those numbers are impressive enough on their own.

The context makes them even better.

Mofokeng is only 21, has moved to a new country and league, and is competing for minutes in a team playing European football. Yet instead of merely settling into his new surroundings, he is already influencing matches.

From PSL Star To European Prospect

None of this should come as a complete surprise.

Mofokeng left South Africa after his most productive league campaign for Pirates, recording 10 goals and eight assists in 27 PSL appearances in 2025/26.

His talent had never really been in question.

The dribbling, close control, confidence in one-on-one situations and ability to create something unexpected were all obvious during his time in Soweto.

What we’re increasingly seeing now is end product.

That’s the development that could transform Mofokeng from an exciting young player into one of Bafana’s most important attacking weapons.

Goals and assists are becoming a regular part of his game.

His league numbers in Belgium are already demonstrating that, and Wednesday’s performance showed that the same progression can translate to international football.

Perfect Timing For Pitso

Mofokeng’s form couldn’t have arrived at a better time for South Africa.

Mosimane has started his second spell as Bafana coach with consecutive victories, beating Guinea 2-1 at Orlando Stadium before Wednesday’s emphatic win in Cairo.

South Africa therefore sit on a perfect six points from their opening two qualifiers.

With Mosimane beginning to shape the team in his image, Mofokeng has an opportunity to establish himself as a central figure in the new era.

He started against Guinea and retained his place against Eritrea, but Wednesday was the night he truly stamped his authority on the international stage.

And the timing matters.

At 21, Mofokeng isn’t simply a player for some distant Bafana future.

He’s ready to contribute now.