Amajita head coach Raymond Mdaka has explained why Cape Town City FC star Emile Witbooi will arrive late for the South Africa Under-20 national team camp.
The national U-20 side is currently based at the Marks Park Sports Club in Randburg, Gauteng, as they fine-tune their preparations for the upcoming 2026 COSAFA U-20 Men’s Championship.
The regional tournament is scheduled to take place in Mozambique from 18 to 27 September. Amajita have been drawn in Group B alongside Lesotho, Angola, and Eswatini.
Mdaka’s charges will kick off their group-stage campaign on Saturday, 19 September, against Lesotho. They will then face Angola on Monday, 21 September. They will wrap up their group fixtures against Eswatini on Wednesday, 23 September.
South Africa come into this tournament as defending champions. They lifted the trophy in July 2025 after securing a 3-0 victory over Malawi in the final held in Windhoek, Namibia
Amajita are set to jet off to Mozambique on Thursday, 17 September.
RAYMOND MDAKA ON WHY EMILE WITBOOI IS ARRIVING LATE FOR AMAJITA CAMP
Coach Mdaka confirmed that the attacker will only join the squad in Mozambique after Amajita’s opening fixture against Lesotho this Saturday.
Witbooi is set to feature for his club, Cape Town City, in their Motsepe Foundation Championship clash against North West University FC on Saturday before heading to national duty.
“Well, Witbooi will be playing. So, they requested that we at least compromise. We will have him after the game on the 19th of September,” Mdaka told reporters on Monday at Marks Park Sports Club in Randburg.
“So, we accommodated him because of his quality and also considering the fixtures we have. We are playing on the 19th against Lesotho, again on the 21st against Angola, and on the 23rd against Eswatini.
“So, there are only three players absent. One is arriving tonight [Monday night]. The other two will only be able to join us after the first game in Mozambique.”
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