With 19 minutes left in Eritrea’s Nations Cup qualifier against Bafana Bafana in Cairo on September 30, Oswin Appollis slipped a cross and Relebohile Mofokeng calmly finished. In stoppage time, he dribbled past several defenders and rolled into the second corner. South Africa won 5-0 and the boy from Sharpeville, who used to run the Orlando Pirates midfield, is now doing it in Belgium for Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.
| Ignore Mofokeng | At a glance |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | October 23, 2004 (21) |
| Place of birth | Sharpeville, Gauteng |
| Position | Attacking midfielder, both flanks |
| Current club | Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium), from July 2026 |
| Contract | Until June 2030, plus a one-year club option |
| Reporting fee | About 3.5 million euros (65.3 million rubles, about 3.9 million dollars) |
| Bafana debut | 11 June 2024 vs Zimbabwe |
| Salary | It is not officially announced |
From Pirates prodigy to record sales
Orlando Pirates confirmed the contract on July 1, 2026. The club said terms were agreed before the World Cup, but he kept quiet to focus on Bafana Bafana. He flew from the United States to Belgium to undergo a medical examination. The Union presented him the following day in the number 38 shirt on a four-year deal which the Mail & Guardian said would run until June 2030 with an option for a further season.
The payment was never published.
Initial reports ranged from €1.5 million to €3 million. By September, the Mail & Guardian was describing a figure of around €3.5m, around R65.3m, as the record for a player sold by a South African club, beating the mark set by Percy Tau, which is now the most quoted figure in the South African press. At the US Federal Reserve rate of RB$16.67 as of October 2, 2026, this is approximately $3.9 million.
He didn’t go quietly. His farewell on Instagram took a long time. “I came to Orlando Pirates as Rele, I leave as Relebohile Mofokeng,” he wrote.
The numbers behind the movement
His last Pirates season explains the price. It was great. Under the guidance of Abdeslam Ouaddou, he made 27 appearances in the Betway Premier League in the 2025/26 season, scoring 10 goals and providing 8 assists. The Buccaneers edged out Mamelodi Sundowns to win their first league title in 14 years, then added the Carling Knockout and MTN8 for the domestic treble. He has been named PSL Footballer of the Season and Young Player of the Season for the third year.
Belgium has not slowed him down. Far from it. He scored the winner in the 5–4 Super Cup match against Club Brugge, his first trophy with Union. About a week later, he came off the bench at Westerlo to head home from close range in a 5-1 win. In late September, the Mail & Guardian tallied three league goals and one assist. He scored on his Europa League debut in a 3–0 win over Viktoria Plzen.
The first month is not bad.
According to the season
| The season | Club, all competitions |
|---|---|
| 2024/25 | Orlando Pirates: 49 programs, 12 goals |
| 2025/26 | Orlando Pirates: 36 programs, 11 goals |
| 2026/27 | Union SG: 6 programs, 3 goals (until September 17) |
Relebohile Mofokeng Salary: What’s Known
Very little, officially. Neither club has published his salary and nothing has been confirmed by the player or his camp. A figure of around R1.7 million a month was circulated on social media when the transfer broke down, with Briefly News and the Mail & Guardian repeating it as reported rather than confirming it. At R16.67 that would be just over $100,000 a month. Treat with caution.
For context, our guide to PSL player salaries shows just how much higher the European salary is than what most of the league earns. Compare him too with Bafana teammates like Oswin Appollis and Teboho Mokoena.
Bafana Bafana and the World Cup
He is on his way to the 2026 World Championship. So was the hype. Against South Korea, he started at number 10 and made four key assists. South Africa won. The Mail & Guardian noted that it took them into the play-offs for the first time. Canada finished in the round of 32.
Pitso Mosimane has since replaced Hugo Broos. He wants goals. “Rele is the best player; he shows why he went to Europe,” Mosimane said in Cairo. “The most important thing is that Rele has to score.” The two responses against Eritrea were decent.
Our view from Lagos
Nigerian football has been sending youngsters to Europe for decades, often too early. The Super Eagles have had good and bad results. Mofokeng did the opposite. He stayed at home, won almost everything on offer, helped end a 14-year wait for a league title and only then, aged 21, moved to a Belgian club that plays every season in Europe and has a habit of selling its best players to bigger leagues.
This is a model that the NPFL would like to copy.
He turns 22 on October 23. The big leagues will follow.
This article was last revised and updated 24 seconds ago