Former Bafana Bafana striker Bernard Parker has weighed in on South Africa’s central defensive pairing of Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Siyabonga Ngezana during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Bafana Bafana have conceded four goals across their three AFCON 2025 group matches, letting one in against Angola, one against Egypt, and two in a dramatic 3-2 win over Zimbabwe. The defensive record has sparked debate ahead of Sunday’s round of 16 clash against Cameroon, with some questioning whether head coach Hugo Broos should consider changes at the back.
While Parker acknowledges the pair’s lack of experience at this level, he believes the partnership can still work if they stick to core defensive principles, especially with the knockout stages now underway.
BERNARD PARKER: THEY LACK INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE AT LEVEL
“We’ve got some sort of a youthful squad,” Parker said on the Smash Sports podcast. “You need that little bit more experience, especially in the spine. We still have Teboho Mokoena and Lyle Foster, who bring that solidarity to the team.
“Hugo Broos has put a lot of trust and faith in Ngezana and Mbokazi. When you look at their performances, there’s still a bit less maturity. A little bit more maturity could stabilise the defence and give us the solidity we want.
“Ngezana is not well-experienced at international level. And Mbokazi, we know, is coming from the Chocomelons. They need that little bit of command in that area of the pitch.
“If you are in the last line of defence, together with [Ronza] Ronwen Williams, they can see the whole game, they have the full view of the pitch. You have to hlanganisa [organise], communicate, command…
“In most instances with Ngezana and Mbokazi, if they can have that basic defensive principle mentality: stay solid and stay on your feet, force the attackers to outwards. The more they do that, the more they will avoid exposing themselves.
“If they can watch the last three matches, they can do corrections. Now the real business starts, now you are coming up against the big boys. There is no room for mistakes.
“They need that connection with Williams in terms of positional play. The more they position themselves well, the more they will avoid problems.
“Two things are important: protect the space behind you in terms of anticipation, and attack the space in front of you in terms of putting pressure on the attackers. If they can get those two things right, teams will struggle to score against us,” Parker concluded.
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