Thulani Mabaso’s professional debut during Kaizer Chiefs’ 1-0 win over Golden Arrows was supposed to be the feel-good story of the night, but co-coach Cedric Kaze had a more sobering message for the South African football public.
Rather than joining the chorus of hype often surrounding PSL academy graduates, Kaze delivered a stinging reality check on the state of youth development in the country. While praising Mabaso’s specific “character” and “consistency,” Kaze suggested that the young midfielder is a rare outlier in a system that habitually “gifts” professional opportunities to youngsters before they have truly earned them.
For Kaze, the trend of rushing unproven talent into the limelight isn’t a sign of progress—it’s a systemic flaw that prioritises sentiment over substance.
Kaze was speaking to the media at FNB Stadium as the Glamour Boys returned to action for the second round of the 2025/26 Betway Premiership season with maximum points against the KZN-based side.
With the 1-0 over Arrows, Chiefs moved within touching distance of log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns and second-placed Orlando Pirates on the league table as the title race heats up.
The Naturena-based side is currently sitting third on the log standings with 27 points after 14 matches, while Sundowns and Pirates are on 29 and 28 points respectively. They have registered seven league matches, six draws, and only one defeat as they look to improve on a record that saw them finish outside the top eight in the past two seasons.
WHAT KAZE SAID ABOUT THULANI MABASO’S DEBUT
In the first match of 2026, Chiefs faced Arrows, sweating over the availability of Sibongiseni Mthethwa, who has been a mainstay in the defensive central midfield position for the club in the current campaign.
With Sibongiseni Mthethwa sidelined by injury, Coach Kaze handed Mabaso his senior debut as a second-half substitute against Arrows. The DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) captain didn’t disappoint, delivering a composed and commendable performance on the big stage.
However, Mabaso’s path to the first team required patience. Although he was part of the senior squad’s pre-season tour in the Netherlands, he was initially sent back to the DDC side to continue his development. He followed a similar trajectory to Naledi Hlongwane, another rising star who also made his Chiefs debut earlier this season after impressing in the reserve side.
The turning point came following the DDC team’s tour of England. After starring abroad and maintaining a high standard in the local reserve league, Mabaso was recalled to the senior fold. He continued to impress technical staff at training before finally earning his debut on Wednesday night.
THULANI MABASO JOINS LONG LIST OF YOUNGSTERS IN THE PSL
Mabaso joins an extensive list of prospects promoted to the senior ranks in recent seasons, including the likes of Relebohile Mofokeng, Mduduzi Shabalala, Siyabonga Mabena, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Siviwe Magidigidi, and Thato Sibiya. Yet, as Kaze’s recent comments suggest, promotion is only the first step; many youngsters find themselves moved back to the reserve league to ensure they maintain regular match fitness and avoid stagnation.
“I think Mabaso is a player that showed us that he can be consistent because I’ve been in the youth setup before, but I believe that here in South Africa we give too much gifts to the young players,” Kaze said.
“A player like Mabaso is a player that we went to pre-season with in the Netherlands. He had a very good pre-season but we wanted to see if he can be consistent and he did good performances with the DDC and went to England with them.
“He also played the Carling [All Stars Cup]. You can see that he’s a player with character, and he doesn’t shy away when he plays with players with experience. We want to have those players with character and personality.”
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