The 20-year-old has already made five appearances for the national team but made his first appearances in the starting lineup against Lesotho.

Mofokeng could not have asked for a better full debut after scoring the opening goal for Bafana before Jayden Adams doubled their lead to hand South Africa a 2-0 win at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.

Hugo reserved special praise for Mofokeng after his stunning performance but admits that nobody is a regular starter in his squad.
“You know I can tell nobody they are a regular [in] Bafana Bafana, we are 23, that’s the first thing; secondly I said also before, as a coach you have to see when is the right moment to bring in a player [into the XI],” Broos said as per iDiski Times.

“I think this game was the right moment for Rele, he played a very good game and this is what we need, when you put a young guy in the team, as a coach, you have to always think they can succeed.

“If he doesn’t, can you imagine he played a bad game, then everyone would say ‘ya, ya, ya maybe it’s too soon, maybe he’s not so good, blah, blah, blah’. So you have to help the player with that,” the former Cameroon coach added.

“I think I did that with Rele and I did that today with Jayden too, for me, Jayden also played a very good game – but this was also an opponent to do that. You can’t do that against Nigeria, or maybe for the first time, in Benin because those are different games.

“So I have to watch and see when is the right moment and then sometimes they don’t succeed then either – but today you see Rele, he had the confidence from my side and he confirmed it, so I’m very happy with that.”

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SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa comes into this fixture off the back of a 2-0 victory over Lesotho thanks to goals from Relebohile Mofokeng and Jayden Adams at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Friday evening.

Hugo Broos’ men currently occupy top spot in the Group C standings with 10 points from five matches.

The South African national team have won three matches, drawn one and conceded one defeat in their first five matches.

BENIN

Benin will be hoping to bounce back after playing out to a thrilling 2-2 draw against Zimbabwe at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Thursday, March 20.

Gernot Rohr’s chargers sits in second place on the group standings, two points behind South Africa with eight points.

The Cheetahs have so far won two games, drawn two and suffered one defeat in five matches during the group stage qualifiers.

Bafana Bafana’s Last Five Games:

South Africa 2-1 Benin
Rwanda 2-0 South Africa
Nigeria 0-0 South Africa
South Africa 3-1 Zimbabwe
South Africa 2-0 Lesotho

Benin’s Last Five Games:

South Africa 2-1 Benin
Lesotho 0-0 Benin
Benin 1-0 Rwanda
Benin 2-1 Nigeria
Zimbabwe 2-2 Benin

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South Africa cruised to victory over the visiting side, thanks to goals from Iqraam Rayners, Maswanganyi and Teboho Mokoena.

In the game, Maswanganyi nearly produced a moment of magic when he beat the defender with Dennis Bergkamp-like first touch before unleashing his shot on target.

The wins sees Bafana remain at the top of the Group K standings with 14 points, finishing the group unbeaten after six matches.

WATCH: Patrick Maswanganyi first touch brilliance

That first touch….
BAFANA BAFANA are cooking🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/AyU3z4iVPz

— Jan Van Potgieter🇿🇦 (@JanVanPotgieter) November 19, 2024

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South Africa got off to the perfect start after Iqraam Rayners handed the home side the lead as early as the seventh minute.

The opening goal from Rayners was such a thing of beauty 😍 👌🏾 pic.twitter.com/hr9Q7IoShM

— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) November 19, 2024

The home side doubled their lead in the 22nd minute when Patrick Maswanganyi slotted the ball home after the South Sudan goalkeeper failed to deal with a shot from Teboho Mokoena.

Here is the second from Maswanganyi pic.twitter.com/9htcegEgMl

— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) November 19, 2024

Bafana Bafana rounded off their scoring in the second half when Mokoena grabbed their third goal from the penalty spot to ensure the victory goes to the home side.

And the third…. pic.twitter.com/Mo390Urs9k

— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) November 19, 2024

As a result, Bafana finished top of the 2025 AFCON Group K standings with 14 points after six matches, having won four and drawn two.

The post Bafana thrash South Sudan to secure top spot in AFCON Group K appeared first on SportsClub.

GOALKEEPER
RONWEN WILLIAMS – 2 479 MINUTES

Who else but Bafana’s No 1 and his trusted captain (left), with whom Hugo Broos has developed a strong relationship. His 2 479 minutes are the most of any player in the squad. He has played every competitive fixture under Broos, just missing six friendly games.

RIGHT-BACK
KHULISO MUDAU – 1 383

Mudau overtook early favourite Nyiko Mobbie for minutes against Zimbabwe in June and is now Broos’ most used right-back. He has made the jersey his own with some superb performances and looks to have no real challenger for the position at the moment.

CENTRE-BACK
SIYANDA XULU – 1 827

Xulu was a dominant feature of Broos’ teams up until the 2–0 loss to Mali in the opening game of the Africa Cup of Nations, where he put in poor display. He was perhaps fortunate Broos stuck with him for so long after several errors-trewn outings.

CENTRE-BACK
MOTHOBI MVALA – 1 683

Mvala has been a rock at the back for Bafana. He is also prone to errors, but still remains the most consistent and accomplished of the centre-backs in the squad. The emergence of Siyabonga Ngezana alongside him is interesting and the pair seemed to complement each other well in the recent World Cup qualifiers.

LEFT-BACK
AUBREY MODIBA – 1 718

Left-back remains a worry for Bafana. Modiba is a decent option going forward but is not equipped defensively to deal with top teams and Bafana have been continuously exposed on his side. But who else?

RIGHT MIDFIELD
TEBOHO MOKOENA – 2 402

The most used outfield player by Broos and it is easy to see why – Mokoena (near right) is in many ways the heartbeat of the team with his box-to-box style and ability to score from nothing and create chances for others. He is vital and the best midfielder in the country by some distance.

CENTRAL MIDFIELD
SPHEPHELO SITHOLE – 1 433

‘Yaya’ has been a revelation since coming into the side with his powerful performances in the midfield and ability to pick a pass going forward. Is he the finished article? No, but there is lots to work with there and at the age of 25, he can only get better.

LEFT MIDFIELD
THEMBA ZWANE – 1 446

After Infamously not selecting Zwane (right) in the early part of Broos’ reign as he was deemed too old, the Belgian coach has repeatedly apologised for that error. Since scoring a brace against Sierra Leone in November 2022, Zwane has been a regular and missed just one competitive fixture, and remains as influential as ever.

RIGHT FORWARD
PERCY TAU – 1 571

Tau is the forward with the most minutes under Broos and continues to get them despite recent criticism of his displays from outside the team. He remains an important player for Bafana and would like nothing more than to realise his dream of playing at a World Cup.

CENTRE FORWARD
EVIDENCE MAKGOPA – 1 086

This has been a problem position for Broos, who has yet to discover his perfect No 9. He would have hoped Lyle Foster would be that, but several issues have meant he has been limited to only 524 minutes so far. Makgopa has been in and out of the side, and was the main man at the Cup of Nations finals, but then dropped for the recent World Cup qualifiers.

LEFT FORWARD
BONGOKUHLE HLONGWANE – 1 031

Hlongwane was a mainstay in the early part of Broos’ reign but just as his form has picked up in Major League Soccer, he has been dropped from the national set-up. He is wasteful in front of goal, but also has an X-factor and good pace.

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The South African national team were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against Uganda in their last Group K encounter on Friday.

The 23-year-old played 61 minutes before he was taken off and replaced by striker Iqraam Rayners, who saw out the rest of the game at the Orlando Stadium.

Appollis has remained humbler and is expecting a tough game as both teams look to secure their first win in Group K.

“It will be a very difficult game, but we have prepared very well. We are looking forward to the game, but I know will be very difficult,” Appollis said.

Bafana Bafana against South Sudan is scheduled to kick-off at 3pm.

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South Africa will come into this fixture after playing out to a 2-2 draw against Uganda in their last Group K encounter at the Orlando Stadium this past weekend.

South Sudan, meanwhile, enter this clash off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Congo in their last Group K encounter at the Stade Alphonse Massamba-Debat last Thursday.

Broos’ men currently occupy third place on the Group K standings with one points from their first game followed by South Sudan in fourth place with zero points after one match.

“We know that South Sudan are an aggressive team, and I don’t mean in a negative manner, and they are very dedicated,” Broos said.

“Also, the match will be played on a synthetic pitch, and it will not be easy. So, I expect a very difficult game tomorrow.”

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South Africa are set to face Uganda in the first game which is scheduled to be played at the Orlando Stadium on Friday, September 6, with kick-off set for 6pm.

The South African national team will then take on South Sudan in the second match at the Juda Stadium on Tuesday, September 10, with kick-off scheduled for 3pm.

Broos has urged his side not to underestimate both Uganda and South Sudan ahead of their qualifying matches.

“Let us try to win these two games, we have the quality, and we have the confidence do it,” Broos told Safa.

“But it doesn’t mean we will underestimate our opponents on Friday and next week on Tuesday.

“They are difficult teams to play against. There are teams who have much power, much height and they play with heart.

“There are some good individuals in the teams, and it means from our side, we have to play on our level.

“And if we can achieve again and confirm again what we did in the last few months, I think we have to be able to win those two games.”

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South Africa are set to face off against Uganda and South Sudan in their two AFCON qualifiers in the upcoming days.

Zwane has been named captain of the Bafana team in the absence of regular captain Ronwen Williams, who is currently sidelined through injury.

South Africa are set to face Uganda in the first game which is scheduled to be played at the Orlando Stadium on Friday, September 6, with kick-off set for 6pm.

The South African national team will then take on South Sudan in the second match at the Juda Stadium on Tuesday, September 10, with kick-off scheduled for 3pm.

Safa released the following statement on the matter, which reads:

Themba Zwane will captain the Bafana Bafana team that will face Uganda and South Sudan in two 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers in the coming days.

Coach Hugo Broos made the announcement to the team after dinner on Tuesday night and the mercurial player will lead the South African senior national side against Uganda at home at Orlando Stadium on Friday, 06 September 2024 (6pm), and away against South Sudan in their second AFCON qualifier on Tuesday, 10 September 2024.

Regular captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams is recovering from an injury and is not part of this camp. The team has been hard at work since arriving in camp this week and is fired up to get the AFCON campaign on a positive note.

The Bafana Bafana coach has his full complement of players in camp after Elias Mokwana arrived on Monday night, with Siyabonga Ngezana and Sphephelo Sithole joining the rest of the group on Tuesday morning.

The post Themba Zwane to captain Bafana against Uganda & South Sudan appeared first on SportsClub.

Basadien has been in form this season, having scored three goals and registered one assist in four appearances across all competitions.

The 27-year-old’s form has not gone unnoticed, with Soweto giants Amakhosi rumoured to have shown interest in the left back.

However, Basadien has since dismissed the rumours by stating that he is solely focused on doing well for the Cape Winelands outfit.

“For me personally, I control what I can control. I’m contracted to Stellenbosch, that’s where I’m playing. All I can do is put in good performances, week in and week out,” Basadien told the media.

“I’m there to do a job, never mind what is going around. Obviously, it’s good to have a club like Chiefs interested in you, but I am contracted to Stellenbosch and my focus is there.”

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