Highlands Park’s Sifiso Mnguni sets sights on reclaiming GDL title

Sisifo Mnguni, the u19 coach of Highlands Park, has excelled in the Gauteng Development League (GDL), leading the team to the league title in 2023 and 2024.

In 2025, he and Highlands Park missed out on a threepeat on goal difference, with Mamelodi Sundowns snatching the title at the death.

In an exclusive SuperSport Schools Plus interview, he discussed the past season and his strategies for Highlands Park to stay competitive in the GDL Top 8 and other tournaments in 2026.

Mnguni, who is inspired by Pep Guardiola, said he also draws inspiration from other coaches, including from his fellow coaches in the GDL, to improve his game.

He was nominated for the Coach of the Year Award at the SuperSport Schools Football Awards, alongside Selekedi Mogale, of Mamelodi Sundowns, who won the award and the u17 GDL title in November.

The third nominee was Mohammed Bhamjee, of Kaizer Chiefs, who has excelled in the u13 division in the past few seasons. He moved up to the u14 division in November and won it. This season, Chiefs was the only club outside of Sundowns to win a GDL title.

Mnguni congratulated Mogale and Bhamjee, who, alongside him, have been the most consistent coaches in the GDL in recent years.

This past season, Mnguni’s troops came as close as one could come to adding another title without quite making it, with an upset loss to the University of Pretoria (Tuks) allowing Sundowns to close the gap to the front-running Lions of the North and, eventually, claim the honours on goal difference.  Both Highlands Park and Sundowns finished with identical records and 80 points after 34 matches, but the advantage belonged to ‘Downs on goal difference.

Mcguni said accepting ending second had been tough, and he emphasised a need for reflection and improvement for the next season.

“I am currently analysing the u17s to identify potential recruits for the u19 team for the upcoming 2026 GDL season,” he shared with SuperSport Schools Plus. His plans for next year are already in place and being implemented.

Although the Highlands Park u19 team didn’t win the title, Mnguni said he was proud of his team’s accomplishments, which included an 18-game unbeaten run.

In the second half of the season, five teams – Highlands Park, Mamelodi Sundowns, Randburg, SuperSport United, and Remember Elite Sport Academy (RESA) – were in the running for the title. With the pressure on, in September, Highlands Park rose to the challenge.

On 6 September, the Lions of the North defeated SuperSport United 1-0 and repeated that score in a win over Sundowns the next day. They also beat Kaizer Chiefs 3-0 and played to a 3-3 draw against Wits Junior on 20 September. They ended their month’s assignments with a 2-0 win over Randburg on 27 September.

Highlands Park is better known for finishing seasons strongly, rather than for starting well, and they frequently lose talented players, who transition to universities or colleges in different provinces, while others leave to play for other clubs within the GDL.

Smaller GDL teams lose players to larger teams, Mnguni said, but Highlands Park has a strong reputation for attracting talent.

One of the players that Highlands Park lost to a rival was Egan Freese, a 17-year-old, who now plays for Kaizer Chiefs. In 2024, at the age of 16, he was a consistent starter for Highlands Park, which successfully defended the league title. Throughout that season, the Lions of the North conceded only 15 goals in 34 matches and maintained 26 clean sheets, with Freese playing a crucial role in the centre of defence.

While top players favour teams like Sundowns and Chiefs, clubs such as Highlands Park have also developed quality players. Despite losing top talent, smaller teams must innovate to compete.

Mngubi believes the participation of top players in leading academies benefits national teams like the u17 and u20 sides, Amajimta and Amajimbos, which played in this year’s FIFA World Cup. Earlier in the year, the u20s won the Afcon title.

Mnguni feels Highlands Park’s talent has been overlooked for national call-ups and he has sought feedback from national coaches on how to better position his players for selection for South Africa.

On 2 November, the University of Pretoria (Tuks) beat Highlands Park 3-1, which was the break Sundowns needed to catch the two-time defending champion. That match had been postponed from 19 October due to the weather, with Highlands Park leading 1-0 in the 62nd minute.

Other matches were also rescheduled or due to adverse weather in October and November, which, Mnguni felt, affected his team’s title chase. However, that wasn’t the sole factor, he acknowledged, adding that Sundowns deserved to lift the title.

Next year, though, Highlands Park will be laser-focused on reclaiming the GDL championship and the wheels are already in motion.