Relebohile Mofokeng is a 21-year-old attacking midfielder and winger from Sharpeville, Vereeniging, who emerged through the Orlando Pirates youth ranks and heads into the World Cup off the back of a South African Premiership title with the club in 2025-26.
Mofokeng began his formal development at the SAFA School of Excellence, then sponsored by Transnet, the same programme that produced Steven Pienaar and Bernard Parker. The school has faced funding problems and a takeover by businessman Siviwe ‘Chippa’ Mpengesi’s Chipcor Developers, but Mofokeng is among the players to have risen from its ranks.
Orlando Pirates invested in youth as they challenged Mamelodi Sundowns, and ahead of the 2022-23 season the clubs agreed a swap that saw Mofokeng join Pirates while Siyabonga Mabena went to Sundowns. Former Pirates teammates Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Mohau Nkota have since moved to Chicago Fire and Al-Ettifaq respectively.
Nicknamed “President yama2k” in South Africa as a leading figure of the generation born in the 2000s, Mofokeng already has an Africa Cup of Nations appearance and a daughter to his name. He has been linked with clubs from Minnesota United to Barcelona, though no move abroad has materialised yet.
Mofokeng has indicated he sees the time as right to leave Orlando Pirates. Midway through AFCON 2025 he told journalists that if an overseas opportunity became available he would take it and that playing the tournament was important to that aim. National coach Hugo Broos suggested Mofokeng’s form had dipped at one stage because he was eyeing an overseas move, but the player produced a strong second half of the Premiership season under coach Abdeslam Ouaddou.
