Reneilwe Letsholonyane: I want to be Bafana Bafana coach

Of course, this is in the distant future, having only just begun his journey after retirement by completing CAF courses to have the required qualifications. 

‘Yeye’ recently parted ways with AmaZulu as their reserve league coach, and he told SABC on Sports Live what the future holds.

"My ambitions, obviously as a young coach now, is in the near future to be a Bafana Bafana coach – but the journey starts somewhere, and currently I'm the assistant coach for the U20 national team," said Letsholonyane.

Now that he is also in the SAFA structures, Letsholonyane believes there’s renewed hope after Bafana reached the semi-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and clinched the bronze medal. 

"I think it was one of our best tournaments, considering that we haven't been qualifying for tournaments, and when we are there, we haven't been going through the knockout stages," he added.

"When the tournament started, Bafana were not given a chance. Almost everyone thought they would not even qualify for the knockouts."

Letsholonyane represented South Africa at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, 2013 AFCON as well as the 2015 edition, and, with 50 appearances, has an idea of what it takes to be one of the best teams on the continent. 

The achievement in Cote d’Ivoire this month will go a long way in getting closer to making Bafana a force in Africa. 

"Playing in the semi-final was a huge thing. For me, it's a foundation that has been laid so that we get back to where we should be, in terms of conquering Africa.

"No one thought they would be where they are – third-best country on the continent. Now there's [World Cup] qualifiers coming up in the next few weeks and months, and it's a booster for them. Going forward, it will be a continuation from where we left off," he said.

OTHER NEWS: Musa Nyatama to step in for Steve Komphela at Moroka Swallows