Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has identified a successor for the ageing Themba Zwane’s role in the national team following a recent experiment involving Orlando Pirates’ Patrick Maswanganyi.
The Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder is nearing the end of his international career and has been blighted by injuries since last season. That has left Masandawana coach Miguel Cardoso and his Bafana counterpart Broos searching for the man who would step into Zwane’s shoes.
The 36-year-old was at the Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday, as a spectator, to witness South Africa beat Rwanda 3-0 and secure qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He is currently nursing an injury that led to his exclusion from the national team selection.
He would be pushing himself to be fit to participate in the 2025 AFCON finals in December in Morocco, as well as the World Cup in June next year.
Broos has tried to groom Maswanganyi into Zwane’s creative role in the national team, but the Orlando Pirates star has struggled to be on top of his game, leading to him being dropped from the last camp.
However, Broos believes he has found the midfielder he thinks gives him what he is looking for.
WHO IS THE PLAYER IDENTIFIED BY BROOS TO REPLACE BAFANA VICE-CAPTAIN ZWANE?
“Sipho [Mbule] was with us from the first day I was here, and immediately I saw what a good player he was,” said Broos.
“But he had interests other than football, and after a few times, I didn’t call him anymore. When you look at Sipho’s career, he played for [Mamelodi] Sundowns, he plays for Pirates, and he’s played for big teams. Look what a career he has.
“So, when we were looking for a replacement for Themba, we tried Patrick, and then we talked about Sipho. I said, you see how Sipho is playing, he had a good moment at Sekhukhune [United last season], but it was again like that [went down die to displine issues].
“I talked with Helman [Mkhalele] and we said, okay, we will give him a chance.”
Mbule earned himself a return to the national team in September when Bafana faced Lesotho and Nigeria in World Cup qualifiers. The Buccaneers star impressed and was back for the Zimbabwe and Rwanda matches with a five-star display.
BROOS’ STERN WARNING TO MBULE
However, before making it back to the national side, Mbule ran into trouble with his employers SuperSport United, Mamelodi Sundowns and Sekhukhune United, where he was on loan last season.
Broos has emphasised that this is the final chance he is offering the player to fully focus on his game and maintain his place in the national side.
“From the first minute when he came to us [against Lesotho and Nigeria], I told him, ‘Listen, this is your second chance, and after this it’s finished. I give you a chance, if you don’t grab it with two hands, it’s done. It’s up to you. You will not be with Bafana as long as I am the coach and don’t forget there is AFCON in December and maybe the World Cup in July next year,’” said Broos.
“I asked him, ‘Do you want to be here?’ and he said yes, so I said, ‘Okay show me.’”
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