One moment, Thinasonke “Thina” Mbuli is barking instructions from the technical area as head coach of the University of the Western Cape (UWC) Ladies football team.
The next, she is on national team duty with Banyana Banyana, where she serves as an assistant to head coach, Desiree Ellis.
She is currently in camp with Banyana Bafana in Bloemfontein, plotting against Madagascar in the back-to-back 2028 Olympic qualifying matches on Friday, 09 October 2026 at 15:00 and Tuesday, 13 October 2026 at 18:00.
Both fixtures will be played at the Free State Stadium.
Mbuli joined the national team camp after making the long journey to the Free State capital just hours after guiding UWC in a Hollywoodbets Super League fixture in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape on Saturday, 03 October 2026.
By her own admission, wearing two hats comes with its challenges.
But balancing club and country responsibilities has become an important part of her football journey.
Mbuli believes being in charge at club level gives her valuable insight and an ideal perspective from which to monitor players across the league.
Born in Mkhondo, formerly known as Piet Retief, Mpumalanga, she was appointed head coach of the University of the Western Cape (UWC) women’s football team in February 2019.
She has been part of the Banyana Banyana technical team since 2018 and was involved when South Africa won their maiden Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title in 2022. Mbuli also boasts a WAFCON runners-up medal from the 2018 tournament.
Her tenure at UWC has coincided with some of the most successful years in the club’s history.
The 2024 season, in particular, will go down as one of the club’s best, with UWC finishing runners-up in the Hollywoodbets Super League and making their debut in the CAF Women’s Champions League.
Mbuli, who holds a CAF A coaching license and a Sports Management degree from Durban University of Technology, has built UWC Ladies around young players, with the squad averaging between 16 and 18 years of age.
The Cape-based side has also consistently supplied players to Banyana Banyana, with five UWC players drafted into the latest camp: captain Fikile Magama, Zoe October, Lonathemba Mhlongo, Antonia Maponya and Sinegugu Zondi.
At 18, October was Banyana Banyana’s youngest squad member at this year’s WAFCON in Morocco.
Ellis has also praised the quality of young players emerging from the Hollywoodbets Super League and stressed the importance of rewarding players who are in form, citing University of Pretoria talismanic striker Siyamthanda Qashani as an example.
Qashani is currently the league’s leading scorer with eight goals.
The Game Against Madagascar
But first, South Africa must secure a positive result against Madagascar in Friday’s first leg to ease the pressure ahead of Tuesday’s return fixture.
No fans will be allowed at Friday’s match at Madagascar’s request, as the Islanders are the designated home team.
Madagascar are using Free State Stadium as their home venue because facilities in their country do not meet the required standards to host an international match.
Coach Desiree Ellis has urged fans to come out in big numbers on Tuesday when Banyana Banyana take their turn as hosts.
Staying in Mangaung
After the FIFA international break Thina will stay in Mangaung for the resumption of the Hollywoodbets Super League festival hosted at the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium where she must plot Mamelodi Sundowns’ first defeat with her UWC team on Saturday the 17th October at 15h00.
This match is highly anticipated in the Super Era stream as they look to overtake Tuks Ladies and occupy the 2nd spot. This clash will be live on SABC.
South African Football: Coaches like Pitso Mosimane have made significant impacts at clubs like Mamelodi Sundowns.
Rosie Bird
There are over 6,600,000 registered rugby players – As rugby’s popularity increases, statistics indicate that there are over 6,600,000 players registered globally.
Bowler
The Confederation of African Rugby is the governing body of rugby union within Africa and currently has 37 members. It runs various rugby tournaments within Africa including the CAR Super 16 and the Africa Cup.