Jessica Motaung, the director for marketing and commercial at Kaizer Chiefs, has issued a powerful and direct appeal to the club’s fan base and the broader South African public as Bafana Bafana prepares to embark on their 2025 AFCON journey in Morocco.
The call by Amakhosi’s marketing doyen comes as coach Hugo Broos and his troops aim to better their 2024 bronze medal. Motaung made her remarks during the FIFA Twinning Programme at the Johannesburg Correctional Centre [Sun City Prison] on Wednesday. She underscored the collective effort required as Bafana targets success in North Africa.
The national team, having secured a bronze medal in the Ivory Coast, will look to improve its standing when the competition kicks off. Broos’ troops are currently intensifying preparations in camp at the High Performance Centre [HPC] in Pretoria before departing for the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.
They play their final preparatory match against Ghana at the Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto on Tuesday. Following the friendly, the squad will leave for North Africa the next day. The AFCON tournament runs from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
Bafana Bafana open their Group B campaign against Angola on Monday, December 22, 2025, at Grand Stade de Marrakech. The group stage continues with a highly anticipated encounter against Egypt on Boxing Day, at Adrar Stadium in Agadir.
Their final Group B fixture will see them take on neighbours Zimbabwe in Marrakech on December 29, 2025.
JESSICA MOTAUNG URGES CHIEFS FANS TO RALLY BEHIND BAFANA FOR AFCON 2025
Amid club tribalism on social media, which often divides support for the national team, Jessica Motaung has called for unity. She appealed to Amakhosi supporters to set aside club affiliations and rally behind Bafana Bafana, emphasising that national support should transcend allegiance to individual players or clubs.
The plea for non-partisan backing is particularly poignant for Chiefs fans. Despite having five players named in the initial preliminary list, no Chiefs player made the final 25-man Bafana squad for the upcoming AFCON. Only Mduduzi Shabalala was listed as a standby player.
The final squad selection is notably dominated by players from rival clubs, with Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates contributors making up the bulk of the Bafana Bafana contingent heading to Morocco.
“We are behind them [Bafana] all the way,” said Motaung. “I mean, I’m very excited for Bafana. I’m very proud of our team. I will be there cheering them on, and I encourage the entire nation, the Khosi nation, to rally behind the team.
“We want them to do well. I wish them all the best. We know they’ll do us proud.”
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