Phuti Mohafe livid despite Polokwane City top eight guarantee

Rise and Shine were held to a 1-1 draw by relegation-threatened Marumo Gallants at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium yesterday as they reached the 40-point mark from 30 matches. 

However, Mohafe was livid with what he described a lacklustre send-off for their supporters before praising his charges for their overall effort during the 2025/26 season. 

"I'm not happy with the result and I'm not happy with the performance either, it was a very dismal send-off for the supporters, we were second-best in every move that we wanted to do," said Mohafe.

"We couldn't win the second balls, we couldn't win the first balls, we couldn't combine 10 passes, only in three moments were we able to combine 10 passes and we looked good.

"We were passive and reactive, so we didn't even deserve to draw this match, they should have beaten us, but by the grace of God, we managed to defend better. But the goal we conceded also leaves a lot to be desired.

"But I think for the progress of the team, we have shown consistency and progress in terms of the top eight finish, and we have shown the resilience of not losing matches."

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Mohafe said their initial target was to achieve a top six position, but could see themselves drop to eighth, depending on Durban City’s final result on Saturday. 

"It is very much important because the target for us was to finish at number six, so if we had won this match it was going to be possible for us to finish at number six," he added.

"Now it's a matter of finishing at number eight, I think we will finish at eight – we were supposed to finish at number six, but we'll plan better and see what we can do going forward."