Harambee Stars vs Bafana Bafana: Pitso Mosimane impressed by Nairobi weather

South Africa Bafana Bafana head coach Pitso Mosimane has expressed his satisfaction with the weather conditions in Nairobi as his squad steps up preparations for Tuesday’s crucial 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier return leg against Harambee Stars.

The two sides are set to lock horns on Tuesday, November 17, 2026, at the Nyayo National Stadium, just days after playing out a thrilling 2-2 draw in their first meeting in Soweto, Johannesburg.

With only a four-day turnaround between the back-to-back fixtures, Mosimane revealed that his technical bench structured their travel itinerary to maximise recovery, opting to depart South Africa just hours after Friday’s stalemate.

“I guess we have done the best we can out of the conditions. So the best thing was to leave in the early hours of the morning. The earliest flight we could find from South Africa (to Kenya) was at 01h00. We landed in the morning, obviously, around 06h00 in Kenya.

“It is difficult because after the match you don’t sleep because you have to travel. But it’s better to save the day,” Mosimane explained to SAfanet, while detailing the squad’s rapid shift in focus toward Tuesday night’s clash.

Upon landing in the Kenyan capital, Bafana Bafana prioritised physical and mental recovery through rest before holding their first field training session on Sunday evening.

“We arrived well and everything is good, the hotel is good and we can’t complain. The boys rested upon arrival. Yesterday they slept the whole day. We were all tired, to be honest, tired from the match, tired from the fatigue at the game and mentally also.

“We need to get better because we didn’t get the results we wanted. So, we rested and regenerated late in the evening yesterday so that they could have enough time to rest,” he said.

Mosimane also admitted he was pleasantly surprised by Nairobi’s mild climate, noting that the cool breeze rules out any weather-related excuses ahead of the decisive encounter.

“Yeah, they looked good now in the morning, and no one is complaining about fatigue. And yeah, today late in the afternoon, we’re going to train and see what the conditions are like. The weather is good; I thought it would be very hot, but there is some wind, which is proper, so we can’t make excuses for that,” the tactician added.

Meanwhile, the Bafana Bafana delegation received a morale boost on Sunday following a courtesy visit from the South African High Commissioner to Kenya, Salome Mmola, accompanied by Political Counsellor Ernest Kgopa, as the team continued to acclimatise in Nairobi.

Speaking during the visit, the High Commissioner noted that there is a strong South African community residing in Kenya and assured the squad that they will turn out in numbers at Nyayo Stadium on Tuesday to rally behind the team.

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