Simba SC coach Steve Barker believes Rushine De Reuck still has plenty to offer Bafana Bafana and should not be overlooked simply because he no longer plays in South Africa.
Barker has backed the Simba captain for a return to the national team, insisting his performances in Tanzania and in last season’s CAF Champions League prove he can still compete at the highest level.
Newly appointed Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane named his maiden Bafana preliminary squad on Friday, just days after replacing Belgian mentor Hugo Broos. Mosimane was appointed on Tuesday and has had little time to settle into the job ahead of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers later this month.
South Africa host Guinea in their opening qualifier on Saturday, 26 September 2026, before travelling to face Eritrea four days later. They will then play Egypt in an international friendly on 4 October.
‘Jingles’ has retained most of the players who were at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, where Bafana reached the round of 32.
However, injuries have forced Mosimane to include new faces in defence. Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Nkosinathi Sibisi, who were both part of the World Cup squad, are among those unavailable. While the Tanzanian Premier League may not rank among Africa’s strongest competitions, De Reuck has stood head and shoulders above many defenders in the East African country.
The 30-year-old has become a key figure at Simba and will lead the club in the CAF Champions League, where Mosimane and his technical team will have an opportunity to assess him against some of the continent’s best teams.
RUSHINE DE REUCK ‘SHOULD BE LOOKED AT FOR BAFANA’
De Reuck has 17 international caps and featured regularly during the early stages of Broos’s tenure. His last Bafana appearance was in an international friendly against Angola in November 2022.
Injuries and a dip in form eventually cost him his place in the national team. However, the former Mamelodi Sundowns defender enjoyed an injury-free campaign last season and has continued from where he left off this term.
Barker, who has worked with De Reuck for eight months at the Dar es Salaam side, believes the defender has rediscovered his best form.
“Rushine has been superb for Simba since I arrived,” Barker told FARPost in an exclusive interview. “I always knew his qualities from his younger days, even at Maritzburg, where he really excelled before his move.
“What he has done for Simba, in terms of the stability and quality he brings both defensively and offensively, has been really good. He is very comfortable on the ball and can build from the back in difficult and tight situations.
“This is probably the longest period in which he has played matches consistently in his career. He was hampered by injuries and probably deserved a bit more playing time at Sundowns, but he is happy and playing really well.
“I believe he should be looked at for the national team. He still has the quality and enough years ahead of him to be an important player.”
Barker kicks off his Champions League campaign on Sunday, away in Malawi, where they face Mighty Wanderers in the first preliminary round.
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