Stellenbosch FC defender Thabo Moloisane could not understate his achievement as he added his name to the list of the club’s centurions at the weekend.
The 26-year-old reached the impressive milestone in Stellenbosch’s 1-0 win over AS Otohô in the club’s 2025/26 CAF Confederations Cup group stage opener at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Sunday.
The centre-back is the 12th player to reach 100 appearances for the club, but stands alone as the only player to have started in all of his 100 games.
“I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved with the Club, and very happy that I made my 100th appearance today with a win and a clean sheet as well,” said Moloisane after the fixture.
Moloisane joined the Maroons in July 2023 on a free transfer from Maritzburg United after representing South Africa as a youth international at both the FIFA U-20 World Cup and CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in 2019.
Since joining Stellenbosch, he has earned two caps for Bafana Bafana including his appearance in South Africa’s 3-0 FIFA World Cup qualifying win over Lesotho in Bloemfontein in September.
He has helped the club achieve its highest moments, including winning the Carling Knockout in 2023, finishing third in the South African top flight for two consecutive campaigns, and reaching the semi-finals of the CAF Confederations Cup last season.
Moloisane credited Stellenbosch head coach Steve Barker and the team’s staff for his accomplishment and driving his work ethic.
“Then there’s the sheer hard work [that goes on behind the scenes] and the belief we get from coach Steve and the entire technical team, and how the environment continuously encourages us to get better, as a footballer and as a person, because the motto of the Club itself is ‘More than Football’,” he stated.
“One thing that I picked up when I got to Stellies is improving on my hard work. The more you work hard, the easier it becomes and the better you get, and I must give credit to Coach Steve for that.He changed the type of football that I was probably used to. He made me a firm defender, which is what I think I needed, and that’s why I think I am getting to 100 games. It shows the belief that he has in me, and it also shows the contribution that I’ve put into the team.”
The defender pinned the 2023 Carling Knockout final as his favourite moment with the club.
“It’s probably winning the Carling Knockout, just for the chance to make history for the club and win the first [top-flight] trophy as a team and for the Stellenbosch badge,” he said.
“That literally put us in a different bracket when we won the trophy, that this is a team to be reckoned with. This is a team that is here to fight for its place at the top, and while it might not be like that at the moment, I can promise you this team will be back and firing again.”
Moloisane was named in Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos’ preliminary squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and will use the Maroon’s final two fixtures of the year to prove he belongs at the continental showpiece.
