After a period of absence, former Kaizer Chiefs coach Molefi Ntseki is making his return to the Bafana Bafana hot seat.

The 55-year-old will be leading the South African national team once again, this time for the upcoming African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers against Egypt.

Ntseki’s New Role and Support Staff

In this new chapter, Ntseki will be assisted by Raymond Mdaka, who currently coaches South Africa’s U20 team.

His appointment comes at a time when the South African Football Association (SAFA) needed someone familiar with the system to step in quickly.

SAFA’s technical committee chairman, Jack Maluleke, provided some insight into why Ntseki was brought back.

He explained that Ntseki had previously been considered for a role overseeing technical development for SAFA, including managing academies and junior teams.

Maluleke also mentioned that Ntseki was chosen for the CHAN qualifiers after the senior national team’s coach, Helman Mkhalele, requested to be excused due to the priority of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers just around the corner.

Ntseki’s Previous Tenure and Challenges

This isn’t Ntseki’s first time at the helm of Bafana Bafana.

He previously coached the team from 2019 to 2021, but his tenure was not successful.

During that period, he failed to secure qualification for both the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Afterward, Ntseki took on a role at Kaizer Chiefs in 2023 but was let go after just four months.

More recently, he was dismissed as the technical director at Marumo Gallants.

A Second Chance for Redemption

Despite his past setbacks, Ntseki now has a chance to redeem himself with Bafana Bafana.

The upcoming CHAN qualifiers against Egypt provide him an opportunity to prove he has learned from his earlier mistakes.