'We beat Rollers, but we are not there yet'

Kabelo Boranabi | Tuesday October 13, 2026 10:28

He made a startling admission that Magosi played better in last weekend's defeat to TAFIC than in Saturday's 2-1 victory over Popa at the National Stadium.

The South African tactician, who celebrated his first victory since taking charge of the Kgatleng giants, insisted that beating their traditional rivals was no indication that Chiefs had turned the corner.

Despite securing the bragging rights, Letsholonyane maintained that his side remains a work in progress, with the ultimate ambition of winning the FNB Premiership title unchanged.

'It is a process, one win does not mean the whole world has changed. There are going to be a lot of hiccups. We want to win the league, for sure, that has not changed. But, are we saying just because we won against Township Rollers now we have arrived? No,' he said.

'We did not play to our best, we did not even play better than we did last week but we still won the game. So we are not where we should be in terms of the level of performance, but we will take each game as it comes,' he added.

The victory came as a timely response for Letsholonyane, whose reign began with a 2-0 defeat to TAFIC.

However, his assessment suggested that the result against Rollers had done little to disguise the shortcomings he believes still exist within his squad.

In a contest between two clubs boasting a combined 20 league titles, Chiefs drew first blood through a Gilbert Baruti freekick in the 16th minute.

Rollers, under interim coach Oupa Kowa, responded in the 29th minute through Bakang Seboko to restore parity and breathe fresh life into the encounter.

However, the scores were level for only 12 minutes as Mpho Kgaswane struck in the 41st minute to restore Chiefs' advantage.

The first half produced all three goals, with Magosi taking a slender 2-1 lead into the break.

Despite both sides searching for further openings after the restart, neither managed to alter the score line as Chiefs held on to secure maximum points.

The result continued Chiefs' recent dominance over their traditional rivals, having also completed a league double over Rollers last season.

Magosi won the corresponding fixture 2-1 in October last year before securing a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture in March.

The Saturday's result extended Chiefs' winning run against Rollers to four consecutive league encounters, underlining a significant shift in the balance of power between the two former domestic heavyweights.

For Rollers, the defeat represents a setback in their rebuilding campaign under Kowa, whose side had entered the encounter unbeaten in their opening league fixtures.

Popa had previously played to a 1-1 draw against Morupule Wanderers before registering a 3-0 victory over Extension Gunners, but found Chiefs a tougher proposition.

The defeat left Rollers on four points from three completed league matches, while Chiefs climbed to fifth position with seven points from five outings.

For Letsholonyane, the victory may have delivered the perfect response to his opening defeat, but the coach's assessment was a reminder that derby bragging rights alone will not satisfy Magosi's championship ambitions.

Teams

Mochudi Centre Chiefs: Keeagile Kgosipula, Kgosietsile Ernest (Motheo Floyd-Mogapi), Benson Mosokobanji, Mosha Gaolaolwe, Kgotso Phuti, Omphile Vissagie, Gilbert Baruti (Monty Enosa), Mpho Kgaswane (Theo Shadikong), Kelvin Ndebele, Evans Rusike (Ronaldo Fortune), Nahael Maljarejo (Tefo Mofokeng).

Township Rollers: Tshomarelo More, Phemelo Moahi, Basiamisi Sepabalo, Onkarabile Ratanang, Temo Segopolo, Jackie Tapologo, Bakang Seboko (Wilfred Dithwane), (Kago Koonne), Shaun Gcumeni (Thembelani Majingo), Marcel Papama, Tlotlo Kgaolo (Moriana Moriana), Molaodi Tlhalefang.

Chiefs 2 (Baruti 16th, Kgaswane 41st) Rollers 1 (Seboko 29th)