Jomo Sono’s advice to Pitso Mosimane ahead of Bafana Bafana return

Former Bafana Bafana coach Jomo Sono has urged Pitso Mosimane to resist making wholesale changes as he begins his second stint in charge of the national team.

Sono, who famously took over from Clive Barker in 1998 and guided Bafana to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, believes Mosimane has inherited a strong foundation from Hugo Broos and should build on it rather than start from scratch.

Bafana face Guinea on the 26th of September before facing Eritrea four days later in their upcoming 2027 AFCON qualifiers while on Egypt awaits in an friendly on the 4th of October, leaving Mosimane with limited time to prepare his team.

“The foundation is there. That guy (Broos), he built a foundation for Pitso,” Sono told Radio 2000.

“But he’s got a short space of time to prepare the team. He must prepare the team that played at the World Cup, he’s got the players.

“He must not bring new players and say, ‘We’re building this new Bafana Bafana.’ He’s playing now in three weeks’ time.

“The players who went to the World Cup, he can add one or two. They know each other, they know the style of play.

“Because being a coach is to make sure that the players know each other, the players know and understand each other on the field. It’s what you build as a coach, the understanding amongst the players.”

Mosimane announced his preliminary squad for the international break on Friday, with 10 new faces included in his first selection.

Those players are Yanela Mbuthuma, Cemran Dansin, Tshepo Mashiloane, Puso Dithejane, Shandre Campbell, Lebone Seema, Tashreeq Matthews, Ronaldo Van Neel, Lebohang Maboe and Luther Singh.

Sono’s advice comes as Mosimane prepares to put his own stamp on a Bafana side that reached the knockout stages of the 2026 World Cup under Broos.

While the new coach has already shown a willingness to introduce fresh faces, Sono believes continuity will be crucial given the short turnaround before the AFCON qualifiers.