Why Mofokeng Rejected Sundowns For Pirates

Sechaba Mofokeng revealed how his son, Relebohile Mofokeng, turned down a lucrative offer from Mamelodi Sundowns to join Orlando Pirates. This decision ultimately proved pivotal in Relebohile's meteoric rise in professional football. The young attacker, now 22 years old, has established himself as a notable talent in South African football, playing a crucial role for Pirates and Bafana Bafana before earning a move to Belgian Super Cup champions Royal Union Saint-Gilloise.

Had he accepted Sundowns’ initial proposal, his journey could have taken a different direction, as the offer included a significantly higher monthly salary than what Pirates provided. Sechaba mentioned that Sundowns, under club president Patrice Motsepe, wanted Relebohile in their U19 side, promising promotion to the reserve team in the DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) if he performed well. "Motsepe wanted him to play for the U19s and offered him R15,000 per month. If he did well, they would promote him to the reserve team in the DDC," Mofokeng explained.

Initially, the family intended to respond to Sundowns on the following Tuesday, but when Tuesday morning arrived, Pirates representatives had already arrived with their offer. "We told them we would get back to them on Tuesday. On the Tuesday morning when we opened the gate, Pirates people were outside the gate, they said Mr. Khoza wanted Rele," he recounted.

Unlike Sundowns, Pirates offered Relebohile the chance to play in the DDC, but at a lower salary of R6,000 per month. With both clubs presenting differing financial packages, Mofokeng left the final decision to his son, who needed to weigh the immediate financial benefits against his potential progression into senior football. Sechaba stated, "The Pirates contract was to play in the DDC for R6,000. I asked them for two minutes to discuss it. Eish - I said the ball is in your court my friend. You choose Yellow, they give us R15,000 per month, you go to Pirates, they give you R6,000 per month."

Relebohile did not provide an immediate answer, instead opting to discuss it later. "He then said, I’ll talk to you after our bath," Sechaba recalled. When they finally spoke, the footballer made his preference clear: he wanted to join Pirates, despite his father's attempt to explain the financial differences. Relebohile felt that Pirates provided a clearer path to the first team, stating, "A majority of their players are coming from the DDC to make it into the first team."

In hindsight, Relebohile’s decision proved to be a defining moment in his career, as his progress through Pirates’ development structures and subsequent breakthrough into the senior team established him as one of the country’s most exciting young footballers. His performances led to international recognition with Bafana Bafana, and his move to Royal Union Saint-Gilloise marked yet another significant step in his remarkable journey.