.jpg) | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rhulani Mlungisi Mokwena[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1987-01-09)9 January 1987 (age 38) | ||
| Place of birth | Johannesburg, South Africa[2] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Wydad AC (coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| Silver Stars | |||
| Managerial career | |||
| 2014–2017 | Mamelodi Sundowns (assistant) | ||
| 2017–2020 | Orlando Pirates (assistant) | ||
| 2019 | Orlando Pirates (interim) | ||
| 2020 | Chippa United (interim) | ||
| 2020–2022 | Mamelodi Sundowns (co-coach) | ||
| 2022–2024 | Mamelodi Sundowns | ||
| 2024– | Wydad AC | ||
Rhulani Mlungisi Mokwena (born 9 January 1987) is a South Africanfootball manager. He is currentlyWydad AC Manager.
The son of formerOrlando Pirates player Julias Sono Hloae, and nephew toJomo Sono, Mokwena hails from a footballing family and started his professional coaching career in the youth systems atSilver Stars, before serving as an assistant manager atMamelodi Sundowns and Pirates. In 2019, he became interim manager of the latter club, holding the position for five months, before being appointed as the head coach at Chippa United the following year.
Mokwena's first notable foray into football came atSilver Stars, later known as Platinum Stars, where he honed his skills under coaches such asSteve Komphela,Cavin Johnson andAllan Freese.[3] In 2014, he joinedMamelodi Sundowns where, after excelling with the club's development team, he was promoted to be one of managerPitso Mosimane's assistant managers, alongsideManqoba Mngqithi andAlex Bapela.[4] Mokwena stayed with Masandawana until 2017, helping the club win the2016 CAF Champions League title, before taking up a role as the assistant manager toMilutin Sredojević atOrlando Pirates.[5]
In August 2019, after Sredojević unexpectedly resigned at Pirates, Mokwena was named as the new interim-manager of the club and he marked his managerial debut with a 1-0MTN 8 defeat toHighlands Park.[6] Over the next five months, he took charge of 14 matches, winning four, drawing five and losing five, before returning to the assistant manager's role following the appointment ofJosef Zinnbauer in December.[7]
On 4 March 2020, Mokwena left Zinnbauer's side after being appointed as the head coach of fellow Premier Division sideChippa United on a short-term deal.[8] However, his time with the club was disrupted by theCOVID-19 outbreak, which saw the league suspended later that month, and by the end of his contract in June he had overseen just one match in charge for the season.[9]
In 2020 Mokwena became co-coach ofMamelodi Sundowns alongsideManqoba Mngqithi. In October 2022, "Mngqithi was assigned to a new role as Sundowns' senior coach in what is a demotion from the position of co-coach. He will now be working under new head coach Rhulani Mokwena",Goal.com reported.[10] On the 3rd of July 2024 it was confirmed that he and Mamelodi Sundowns have parted ways, citing taking into account the objectives and expectations of the board[11]
In July 2024 he joinedBotola sideWydad AC as head coach.[12]
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Orlando Pirates (interim) | 17 August 2019 | 10 December 2019[7][13] | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 028.6 |
| Chippa United (interim) | 4 March 2020 | 30 June 2020[9][14] | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 050.0 |
| Mamelodi Sundowns | 4 October 2020 | 4 July 2024[15] | 144 | 89 | 42 | 13 | 061.8 |
| Wydad AC | 10 July 2024 | present[16] | 27 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 044.4 |
| Total | 187 | 106 | 57 | 24 | 056.7 | ||
Mamelodi Sundowns