Snl24 | Johnson left in the dust by unfancied fellow caretaker coach

Unfancied Phuti Mohafe did a better job as interim head coach at Polokwane City than Cavin Johnson at Kaizer Chiefs.

The name Phuti Mohafe is the least known of all coaches that ended the season in jobs with DStv Premiership clubs.

Yet he is a man who negotiated his working space at Polokwane City, where his resources are as slim as his physique, to guide the Limpopo club to a Top Eight finish.

READ: End-of-season despair for Chiefs kingpin

Based on the task at hand, Mohafe overachieved.

In doing so, he finished ahead of Steve Komphela at Golden Arrows, Cavin Johnson (Kaizer Chiefs) and the rest of the personnel at clubs in the bottom half.

Considering that Mohafe was an interim appointment, what he did will leave Johnson with further egg on his face after the veteran coach turned his reign at Chiefs into shambles.

Mohafe was elevated to lead the dressing room after Lehlohonolo Seema dumped the club with a face of disgruntlement in November.

Prior to that, Duncan Lechesa, who won promotion with the team before working as co-coach with Seema, had also left in October.

Twelve league games had been played when Seema went for the exit, with a fair return of 17 points.

Instead of having to spend on a new recruitment, club chairman Johnny Mogaladi turned to his assistant, who spent the tail-end of his playing days at Witbank Spurs in the First Division. 

The task for the 50-year-old was to keep the team in the DStv Premiership – simple as that.

Mohafe did more than that pushing Polokwane to position eight on the standings despite having to endure a spell of five games without a win, including that embarrassing 5-0 massacre at Stellenbosch FC.

Few have noticed the job that this unfancied man has done under the conditions that come with being at Polokwane, where the resources are limited.

READ: Part 4 l Life after football: ‘I even worked underground in the mine as a contract worker’

Based on where Polokwane finished, there will be no justification in not keeping Mohafe at the helm going into the new season.

If he is given a stamp of approval, it will be his first head coaching job as a permanent in the DStv Premiership having been assistant before through leading the dressing room only in the First Division. 

At this juncture, it doesn’t matter that Mohafe is neither charismatic nor controversial like some of his colleagues in this league, just like his Ivorian assistant Brice Aka. 

You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.

Click HERE to register!