Mngqithi Appointed New Young Africans Coach In Tanzania

Tanzanian giants Young Africans SC have appointed South African tactician Manqoba Mngqithi as their new coach on Friday evening.

The Umzimkhulu-born manager, who parted ways with Betway Premiership outfit Golden Arrows at the end of last season, arrives in Dar es Salaam with a clear mandate: defend the league title and challenge for the CAF Champions League.

The move materializes after weeks of East African interest following his highly decorated tenures in South Africa.

Young Africans (Yanga) just wrapped up the 2025/26 NBC Premier League season on 1 July as champions, sealing their fifth consecutive league title.

Steve Barker’s Simba SC finished just two points behind them in second, making this appointment an incredibly high-stakes, direct tactical battle between the two South African tacticians

Mngqithi’s arrival sets up an unprecedented South African coaching rivalry at the summit of Tanzanian football. His appointment means the country’s two traditional powerhouses will be guided by Mzansi tacticians, with former Stellenbosch mentor Barker currently commanding arch-rivals Simba SC.

Barker recently concluded the 2025/26 season by securing the CRDB Bank Federation Cup, adding fuel to an already explosive Kariakoo Derby dynamic.

Mngqithi boasting immense continental pedigree, famously co-steered Mamelodi Sundowns to their historic 2016 CAF Champions League crown under Pitso Mosimane.

He also holds a legendary status at Golden Arrows, leading Abafana Bes’thende to the 2009 MTN8 title with a record-breaking 6-0 triumph over Ajax Cape Town.

While domestic media heavily linked Mngqithi to a Bafana Bafana reunion with Pitso Mosimane—who was tipped to succeed Hugo Broos—the veteran coach has opted for a bold continental challenge instead.

He joins an elite, growing group of South African managers working on foreign soil, spearheaded by Benni McCarthy, who currently leads the Kenyan national team.