Rulani Mokwena is considered one of the best young coaches in Africa having shown remarkable tactical acumen while managing some of Africa’s top teams.
At just 38, Mokwena has already coached Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns and Wydad Athletic Club, three of Africa’s superpowers, which demonstrates just how good he is.
While many go into coaching after playing, Mokwena had no playing career and decided to start out as a coach, cutting his teeth as a youth coach at Silver Stars, later known as Platinum Stars, before then working experienced coaches like Steve Komphela, Cavin Johnson and Allan Freese who developed his coaching skills further.
Rulani Mokwena’s coaching career
Coming from a footballing family, it was surprising that Mokwena chose this journey. He is the son of former Orlando Pirates star Julias Sono Hloae and nephew to the mercurial Jomo Sono, a Pirates and South Africa legend.
However, it is a decision that paid handsome dividends as he has gone on to enjoy a great career in the dugout that many twice his age can only dream of given in 2014, he joined Mamelodi Sundowns, working with the development side and after impressing, he was promoted to the senior side as one of legendary coach Pitso Mosimane’s assistants.
Rulani Mokwena worked at Sundowns until 2017 when he left to become assistant coach to Serbian tactician Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic at Orlando Pirates.
In August 2019 after Sredojevic resigned, Mokwena was made interim coach of Pirates, getting his first chance as heads coach, and he managed 14 league matches, winning four, drawing five and losing as many, before he was replaced by Josef Zinnbauer in December that year with many viewing his spell as underwhelming.
He stayed at Pirates as assistant to Zinnbauer but on March 4, 2020, he got another chance as head coach when Chippa United came calling, offering him a short-term contract until the end of the season but he only took charge of one match before the league was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
By the time the league resumed, his contract ended but Rulani Mokwena did not stay for long without a job.
Having left an impression on the Mamelodi Sundowns bosses, Mokwena returned to the club as co-coach with Mangqoba Mngqithi ahead of the 2020-21 season after Mosimane had left the club to join Egyptian giants Al Ahly.
At Sundowns, Mokwena worked for one-and-a-half seasons as co-coach and in October 2022, he was made head coach with Mngqithi assigned a new role as senior coach and here is when his tactical acumen was seen.
Mokwena implemented an attractive style of football, making Sundowns one of the best teams to watch in Africa, and won four league titles as well as the inaugural African Football League in 2024 before he was dismissed in July 2024.
Just a week after his surprise Sundowns exit, Mokwena was unveiled by Moroccan giants Wydad Athletic Club, signing a three-year contract, and tasked with reviving a fallen giant but he lasted just nine months in the role.
An inconsistent run and a fallout with fans saw Mokwena’s stint at Wydad cut short on April 29, 2025 when it was announced that he had been granted special leave until the end of the season when he would officially depart.
Rulani Mokwena’s journey to Morocco
On July 11, 2024, Rulani Mokwena was unveiled as the new coach Wydad Athletic Club to replace Aziz Benaskar, who had overseen a poor stint that saw the Moroccan giants finish sixth in the Botola Pro League and miss out on the Throne Cup.
Expectations were high that the young coach would implement the Sundowns blueprint at Wydad, even if the squad was not comparable to what he had left in Pretoria, and the club went on a shopping spree, bringing in over 20 new players.
That raised hopes even more among Wydad fans, who expected Mokwena to win the league in his first season, even if they had finished sixth, but his new team struggled for consistency.
Mokwena’s challenges in Morocco
The many new players took so long to gel while others were not good enough and in the January transfer window, a few were let go with some coming in.
Among those who impressed were South Africans Cassius Mailula and Thembinkosi Lorch, who Mokwena brought in on loan deals, having worked with them at Sundowns.
The raised expectations would see the relationship between coach and fans sour and it reached a point when the supporters were throwing bottles at him in the dugout in March 2025 while he was quick to remind them that their team was not good enough and he could not perform magic.
In total, Mokwena took charge of 29 competitive games at Wydad and won 12, drew as many and suffered five defeats for a win percentage of 41.37%.
The last straw came when Wydad were knocked out of the Throne Cup following a 1-0 loss to Moghreb Tetouan on April 5, their last chance for a trophy, while they were third in the league six points behind second place, the final CAF Champions League qualification place.
Mokwena’s Wydad did not do poorly in the big matches but not well either, drawing the Casablanca derby with Raja 1-1 both home and away, drawing 2-2 with AS FAR while they lost 1-0 before a goalless draw with champions RS Berkane.
A great run in January, when they won three straight league games, brought hope back but five straight draws in February and March saw Mokwena lose the trust of supporters and he never won it back until when the club relieved him of his duties.
Mokwena’s tactical approach
Mokwena is wedded to a possession-based style of football whose emphasis is on denying the opponent the ball while making intricate passes until you find the way through on goal.
However, that style needs players who are good on the ball and Mokwena did not have many at Wydad which also contributed to his problems.
Besides Lorch and Mailula, other names that arrived were former AC Milan striker M'Baye Niang, Pedrinho from Corinthians, Nassim Chadli from Ligue 1 outfit Le Havre, Walid Nassi from Dijon, Zacarias Ghailan, Nabil Marmouk, Ayman Dairani, Hamza Sakhi, Zakaria Nassik, Abdelali Mhamdi, Jawad Khalouk, Mohamed Moufid, Mohamed Rayhi, Mouad Enzo, Mehdi Moubarik and Abdelmounaim Boutouil.
Most of them disappointed and failed to adapt to Mokwena’s style of football, Lorch and Mailula among the few who impressed, and this led to the team’s struggles on the pitch.
Mokwena’s highs and lows in Morocco
Rulani Mokwena had few high moments at Wydad but his team’s five-match winning run between January and February was his key highlight.
He, however, struggled to connect with fans, not helped by the fact that he could not speak Arabic and needed a translator, while his constant run-in with supporters, firing back at them worsened things.
Some of his most memorable quotes included when he reminded the fans that he had rejected other teams for Wydad, how he was suffering by fasting with his players during Ramadan, and when he left it open for the club to sack him, which ultimately happened.
Rulani’s memorable quotes at Wydad
Rulani Mokwena in racism row
“I don't think I came to Morocco to be racially abused. It's not right.” – November 2024
Mokwena defending his style
“I don’t think I was brought here because I look good or I’m handsome, no, I think I was brought here because of the style of football I play, and if we can’t play that in our home stadium it becomes very, very difficult.” – February 2025
Mokwena reminding Wydad fans that he had options
“Look, I had options to join clubs that play Champions League. I saw how Wydad fans love their team and show love to me, this is why I didn’t go to AS FAR, this is why I didn’t go to Raja [Casablanca]. But what I see now, the lack of support, the lack of patience, and it’s not easy guys.” – March 2025
When bottles were thrown at him
“I’m fasting alongside the players so that I can truly understand what they’re going through. It’s hard for me, and if it’s hard for me, just imagine how much more challenging it must be for them. They have to run for 90 minutes, and train every day… all I ask for is a bit of compassion. Throwing bottles, that’s not something I like to see.” – March 2025
Mokwena asking to be sacked
“If I’m the problem, I give the president [Hicham Ait Menna] and the board full responsibility to relieve me from my duties. I don’t want to hold Wydad back. If Wydad feels they can do better without me, believe me, I love this club too much to be a problem here.” – March 2025.
How does Mokwena compare to other coaches?
Wydad had gone through nine coaches before Mokwena arrived and he lasted longer than all of them, having been there for 292 days, with Adil Ramzi getting 144 days between July 2023 and December that year, while Hussein Ammouta had 107 days from August to December 2022.
The club have not won a trophy since Walid Regragui led them to a league and Champions League double in 2022 with their best result since then being runners-up in both league and Throne Cup in 2022-23.
What is Mokwena’s legacy in North Africa?
It is hard to point out a lasting thing that Mokwena leaves behind since he was not afforded the time to fully implement his style and let it bear fruit.
With a squad that did not suit how he wanted to play, Mokwena was forced to be pragmatic at times which did not help in fully implementing his philosophy.
What does the future hold for Mokwena?
With Jose Riveiro soon to exit the Orlando Pirates hot seat, Mokwena is among coaches who have been linked with the job.
