The two worked together at the now-defunct Platinum Stars in 2009. Mokwena took charge of his first PSL game under Komphela against Santos all those years ago when Komphela was serving a suspension.
The former Kaizer Chiefs coach says more young tacticians should be given a chance.
"It gives me great pride and pleasure. I worked with Rulani, we have had many interactions and he is still very young as well. There is a bright future in him.
"He must use his brains. Football is about brains and he has sharp brains."
The Fifa international window will give the Soweto-born coach some time to work on the team. Bucs' next game will only be on September 21, against Bidvest Wits.
Block out the noise, Steve Komphela tells Rulani Mokwena
Steve Komphela has given his protégé, Rulani Mokwena, some words of wisdom as the Orlando Pirates caretaker coach finds himself under fire for the team's poor run of form.
Mokwena remains winless in the four games he has been in charge of the Buccaneers, with the most recent being their dull goalless draw with Komphela's Golden Arrows in midweek.
Before even being installed as the interim coach, there had been a weight of expectation on the former Mamelodi Sundowns assistant coach to see how he'd fare as a head coach. He has been thrown in the deep end after the sudden resignation of Milutin Sredojevic.
Komphela, who knows a lot about being under pressure, has advised the 34-year-old to ignore the naysayers.
"The only thing you can rest on is focus and self-belief and to concentrate on the project. There will always be distractions and all of that," Komphela said.
"The minute you tend to listen too much to those instantaneous comments, it will break you. He must just focus on the next match and look at how he wants Pirates to play.
"There will always be noise. He must know that sometimes the voices are from people who just want to make noise."
The two worked together at the now-defunct Platinum Stars in 2009. Mokwena took charge of his first PSL game under Komphela against Santos all those years ago when Komphela was serving a suspension.
The former Kaizer Chiefs coach says more young tacticians should be given a chance.
"It gives me great pride and pleasure. I worked with Rulani, we have had many interactions and he is still very young as well. There is a bright future in him.
"He must use his brains. Football is about brains and he has sharp brains."
The Fifa international window will give the Soweto-born coach some time to work on the team. Bucs' next game will only be on September 21, against Bidvest Wits.