It’s been years since Bafana had such talented defensive prospects. Orlando Pirates star Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Kaizer Chiefs’ Rushwin Dortley look like the future.
Dortley and Mbokazi present some interesting options for Bafana
Kaizer Chiefs have a new defensive rock
22-year-old central defender Rushwin Dortley’s breakout season ended in heartbreak with the former Cape Town Spurs man undergoing knee surgery. The classy left-footer has been a near ever-present for Amakhosi in his debut campaign after a move from Cape Town Spurs while still learning his craft as a central defender, appearing in 18 of their 20 Betway Premiership matches, showing composure, poise and aerial aggression. To say that his absence will be a massive blow is a huge understatement. Chiefs might face an uphill battle to claim a finish inside the Betway Premiership top eight which speaks volumes for how good he’s been and we hope to see him come back stronger in 2205-2026. Meanwhile, across Soweto, there’s another special talent emerging.
Orlando Pirates star Mbokazi has all of the tools to be a great
5 March 2025 might go down as a big day in the history of the club. 19-year-old Mbekezeli Mbokazi, affectionately known as TLB, made his Orlando Pirates debut and we might look back on that as a huge watershed moment. It was a 1-0 win for Pirates and, fittingly, Mbokazi marked his bow with a clean sheet. It’s the first of many, and DStv Diski Challenge [DDC] head coach Joseph Makhanya has played a big role in his rise to prominence. Mbokazi started subsequent matches against SuperSport in the Nedbank Cup (he scored the opener in a 2-2 draw, Pirates eventually prevailed on penalties) and against Stellenbosch in a 0-0 draw. Mbokazi was the Man of the Match in that thrilling cup tie against Matsatsantsa and repeated the trick by earning the accolade in Pirates’ 2-1 win over Sundowns. It’s a result to breathe new life into their title challenge.
Can Mbokazi and Dortley play in the same Bafana team one day?
In short, yes. Although they have some strong similarities, especially their left-footedness, there would be no issue fielding both men in a starting XI. It’s not common for top coaches to deploy two left-footers in the heart of defence, but a back three is always an option. Also, they’re stylistically quite different. Dortley has a widescreen view of things, preferring to take his time, while Mbokazi gets tighter to his marker. If players are good enough, they must be accommodated. It’s been many years since South Africa had a left-footed central defender; now two have come along at the same time. You know what they say about London buses.
Kaizer Chiefs legend Khune makes GOAT claim
Instagram and TikTok’s blind ranking trend sees people name their top five or top ten in a category. The twist? They only get given one name/concept/brand at a time, without knowing what the others are. Recently, Itumeleng Khune was asked to do exactly this with the best goalkeepers ever to grace the South African top flight. He placed Ronwen Williams at the top of the rankings, only to change his mind when his name came up later in the challenge.
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Can Bafana Bafana accommodate both of these players in future starting XIs?
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