Africa-Press – Lesotho. SOUTH Africa’s national soccer team assistant coach, Helman “Midnight Express” Mkhalele, has said he would like to see Lesotho grow into a stronger football nation.
He said he believes structured exchange programmes between Lesotho and South Africa are the right path to achieving that.
Mkhalele is among the coaches currently undertaking the CAF A-Diploma Licence course organised by the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA).
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the course this week, he said he chose to upgrade his coaching credentials in Lesotho to keep pace with the rapid evolution of modern football. He emphasised that his decision was also influenced by the cordial relations between the two countries.
“Lesotho and South Africa have good relations as countries; hence we have a number of South African coaches working in Lesotho,” Mkhalele said.
“Football is about exchanging knowledge. It is not about individual countries where you just keep your best coaches to yourself.”
He said South African coaches working in Lesotho were not only imparting knowledge but also learning a great deal. He stressed that the fact that South Africa has more resources does not mean it cannot learn from Lesotho.
“We all know that South Africa has more resources than Lesotho, and having coaches from South Africa here is a good thing. At the end of the day, I would also love to see Lesotho doing well in all international competitions — be it women or men football.
“I would love to see them not just adding numbers, but truly competing. So, having exchange programmes like this course is the way to go. Being here is not only about me learning; I am also imparting knowledge.”
Mkhalele added that it did not reflect well for South Africa to progress while Lesotho lags “left behind” in football development. He urged LeFA to continue supporting development-driven initiatives, with a particular focus on improving infrastructure.
“To improve the facilities is the most important thing, but developing coaches is key.
“I have no doubt that Lesotho can be a strong nation in football. The only thing LeFA needs to do is to ensure they continue with initiatives like this coaching course. Implementation is key because, mostly in Africa, we have beautiful projects and beautiful rules — but the biggest challenge is whether we implement them.”
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