Bafana Bafana ace Themba Zwane marked his return to the national team with a brace, sending a strong message to coach Hugo Broos.
Bafana beat visiting Sierra Leone 4-0 in an international friendly match played at the FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Zwane was making his first appearance under Broos, who constantly snubbed him, insisting on picking younger players.
The Belgian, buckling under pressure as he struggled to find a competent playmaker, called Zwane to Bafana last week.
The Mamelodi Sundowns talisman obliged with a stunning brace, capping off a five-star performance.
Bafana started off the tie slow but grew into the game as it wore on.
After half an hour of searching for a goal, Zwane finally opened the scoring in the 33rdminute with a. stunner of a finish.
Bafana went to the break leading 1-0. A dominant shift by South Africa in the second half saw them add the second goal in the 49th minute.
This time it was debutant Mihlali Mayambela who added the second for the hosts.
15 minutes later, Zwane got his second goal of the day, making it 3-0 to put the game beyond the reach of the visitors.
His Sundowns teammate Aubrey Modiba also added his name on the scoresheet.
Modiba would have impressed Broos after being handed a start for the first time under the former Cameroon coach.
Meanwhile, TS Galaxy goalkeeper Melusi Buthelezi finally made his debut after an impressive start to the season.
The 24-year-old shotstopper replaced captain Ronwen Williams in the 79th minute as Broos rewarded him for his sensational club form.
The overseas-based duo of Mayambela and Luke Le Roux also got their maiden starts for the country.
Bafana play Botswana in another international friendly match on Tuesday and the coach looks set to give more players starts.
