There is a steady hum around South African football again, the kind you only hear when a team is finding rhythm at the right time. In the wake of a confident 3-1 win over Zambia in Gqeberha, the conversation is no longer only about results, it is about identity, personality and the heartbeat of a squad coming together. At the center of it all are Bafana Bafana matches and player performances that hint at a group learning, adapting and believing as the Africa Cup of Nations draws near.
A last friendly that revealed both questions and answers
South Africa’s meeting with Zambia at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium offered a revealing snapshot of where Hugo Broos and his players stand. The scoreline was emphatic, yet the coach, eyes narrowed on the details, spoke of standards and the need for sharper edges. He felt the tempo dipped in phases, and he did not shy away from saying it.
Mohau Nkota provided the jolt that the game needed, coming on at the start of the second half for Oswin Appollis and turning the contest with purpose. He scored South Africa’s second goal and added an assist, a burst of intensity that matched the moment. “I think Mohau had a very good game, he was very aggressive, quick also dangerous,” Broos said in his post-match reflections, a nod to an impact that changed the tone of the evening.
Mokoena at 50 a pillar in the middle
Teboho Mokoena’s 50th international cap was more than a personal milestone, it was an emblem of continuity in a team seeking constant balance. The Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder partnered Sphephelo Sithole with his usual calm before being replaced at the break by Thalente Mbatha, a planned shift that exposed just how much his presence organizes those around him. Broos admitted that in the second half he missed Mokoena’s game intelligence.
“It is not everyone who earns 50 caps,” the coach said, calling Mokoena one of South Africa’s most important players. The respect is mutual. After the match, Mokoena thanked Broos, former Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter and Percy Tau for guiding him through the journey. “This is a big day in my life,” he told SABC Sport, placing his achievement within the wider story of mentorship and trust. The midfielder’s evolution has mirrored the team’s, steady and purposeful, and his mentor from Harmony Sports Academy, Pitso Mokoena, believes the next chapter can still be written abroad.
The boy from Harmony and the dream that keeps growing
Pitso Mokoena remembers first seeing Teboho at a COPA Coca-Cola Schools tournament in the Free State. The teenager’s maturity and leadership drew him to watch the whole event. He brought the youngster to Harmony Academy, helped shape his habits, and saw the traits that have now become familiar to South African fans, composure, a direct style and infectious discipline. “He still has a long way to go, he still needs to work hard and remain humble,” the coach said, framing ambition within the bedrock of daily work.
That work ethic is where the international dream of going abroad still lives. “I’m thinking the boy is still looking forward to going overseas,” Pitso Mokoena added. The timing will be its own story, yet the sentiment tells you how those who know Teboho best see him, as someone whose ceiling is still rising. On a night when the shirt with number 50 felt heavy, he wore it lightly, then stepped into the tunnel with gratitude and a smile.
Mbule’s spark and Zwane’s race against time
Sipho Mbule walked off with Man of the Match in the 3-1 win, and it felt like confirmation rather than surprise. His talent has never been a secret, but this version of Mbule is focused and hungry, the kind of playmaker who changes the speed of a game with one touch. “I immediately saw what a good player he is,” Broos said, before underlining that football is about choices off the pitch as much as it is about the ninety minutes. The coach’s message was firm and encouraging, a reminder that Mbule has a second chance to grab.
In the same breath, Broos spoke to the importance of Themba Zwane, who is working his way back after injury. At 36, he remains a creative compass when fit. The coach made it clear that Zwane needs minutes with Mamelodi Sundowns in the coming weeks to show he is ready, since the final AFCON squad will be named in early December. If Bafana can take Zwane and Mbule together to the tournament, Broos believes the team will be stronger.
Percy Tau’s absence and a quiet influence
Percy Tau was thousands of kilometers away on the night of Mokoena’s milestone, playing his club football in Vietnam with Thep Xanh Nam Dinh. He has not been receiving call-ups recently and looks set to miss the AFCON in Morocco next month. Yet, even from a distance, his fingerprints were on the celebration. Mokoena credited Tau for encouraging him during his early days with Bafana Bafana, a simple gesture that now reads like an anchor in a long career.
These are the threads that bind the squad, veterans who pass on the small notes of wisdom, younger stars who pick them up and run. In a team that is learning to blend roles and responsibilities, small acts of guidance can be as decisive as tackles and passes on match day. It is why the dressing room’s chemistry matters so much to Broos and why the leadership group carries such weight.
Nkota’s audition and the reality check from the coach
Nkota’s cameo shifted the mood and the scoreboard, but Broos still wanted more from the collective. He called the overall tempo too low at times and admitted that making many changes at halftime disrupted cohesion. The point was not to rain on a win, it was to set standards for the battles to come.
“We didn’t play our best game today but there were good moments,” he said, highlighting the forward runs and passes that unlocked Zambia. For Nkota, those moments were a springboard. For the group, they were a reminder that good habits, repeated, will be the difference when the stakes rise in tournament play.
Mabasa’s hurt and the hope that will not fade
There is another story unfolding away from the spotlight of the starting eleven, one that belongs to Tshegofatso Mabasa. The Orlando Pirates striker has been carrying a steady scoring touch at club level, yet national team selection has remained elusive. He has made preliminary squads, including for World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin in March, but did not make the final cut. “It is very painful,” he told iDiski Times, a clear window into the human cost of near misses.
Still, Mabasa holds on to a dream that has animated generations, playing at the Africa Cup of Nations. “I grew up watching the tournament,” he said, recalling how watching Benni McCarthy lit the spark. Patience learned at Sekhukhune and the example of his Bucs teammate Evidence have shaped his mindset. “I look at Evidence and I realise that if you work diligently, the selectors will eventually recognise you.” Broos has said the door is not closed for new additions ahead of AFCON, which means the forward’s persistence still has a path.
Nemtajela’s step up and Pirates’ decisive touch
While one Pirates striker waits, a Pirates midfielder is on the rise. Masindi Nemtajela’s jump from Marumo Gallants to the Buccaneers looks smarter by the week. Reunited with coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, who oversaw his progression at Gallants, the 24-year-old has quickly become a steady presence in the engine room. His form earned him a maiden Bafana Bafana call-up for the Zambia friendly, where he was an unused substitute, an early nod that his trajectory points upward.
Behind the scenes, his transfer tells its own story. Pirates beat Kaizer Chiefs and other admirers by moving with conviction, reportedly visiting the player’s family to seal trust and fit. The personal touch, combined with continuity under a familiar coach, made a compelling case. Now the black and white shirt fits, and the national setup has taken notice.
What Broos is really building
Strip away the headlines and there is a clear blueprint at work. Broos is trying to build depth in every line, create two solutions for every problem and light fires under players who can tilt tight games. Mokoena’s leadership, Mbule’s force of imagination, Zwane’s craft when fit, Nkota’s aggression, and the hunger of players like Mabasa and Nemtajela, all of it adds layers to the same picture.
He knows tournaments reward teams that can adapt within games. That is why he embraced halftime changes against Zambia, even if they dented fluency. It is why he speaks candidly about standards and responsibility. The point is not just to win, the point is to become a team that knows how to win on demand.
Three takeaways that matter now
- this is how it’s done, Mokoena’s 50th cap underlines his status as a cornerstone and a voice of calm
- this is how it’s done squared, Mbule’s resurgence gives Broos a second playmaker while Zwane works toward fitness
- this is how it’s done cubed, Nkota’s impact and Nemtajela’s rise hint at fresh options while Mabasa’s persistence keeps pressure on the forward line.
The road to December and the stakes ahead
Bafana Bafana will take the feeling of the Zambia win into final preparations, with the AFCON opener against Angola set for December 22. The selection calls before early December promise to be exacting. For players, every club performance counts, every training day is an audition. The coach has been clear, he wants form, fitness and attitude that translates under pressure.
There is no single hero in this story, not right now. There is a collective trying to meet the moment, a staff unafraid to set demands, and a fan base ready to believe if the signs continue to point upward. The win in Gqeberha was a good step. The true test is whether Bafana can turn steps into strides when the lights are brightest.
The human thread that ties it all together
All of these strands, from Mokoena’s gratitude and Pitso Mokoena’s encouragement to Mbule’s second chance and Mabasa’s resolve, add humanity to a sport that often dwells on numbers. The numbers matter, but so do the journeys. When the anthem plays in Morocco next month, it will echo with more than statistics. It will carry the voices of a squad that has been honest about where it is, and determined about where it wants to go.
If that honesty hardens into competitive edge, then the story of this camp, that 3-1 against Zambia, and the choices that follow, could mark the start of something memorable. The margins at AFCON are thin, but the belief that South Africa can navigate them is growing by the day.
