Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has reacted to Lebone Seema’s maiden Bafana Bafana call-up following the defender’s stellar performances for the Buccaneers.
Seema was included in Pitso Mosimane’s final squad for the 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Guinea and Eritrea on 26 and 30 September. Bafana will also face Egypt in the international friendly as the veteran coach looks to sharpen his tactics.
Mosimane announced his final squad on Thursday at SAFA House, with Seema among a few new faces in the national senior men’s team.
The talented centre-back has been a consistent performer in the PSL, having joined Pirates ahead of last season from TS Galaxy. Seema made an immediate impact at Pirates, playing a key role in helping the club win the MTN8, Carling Knockout, and Betway Premiership titles in the 2025/26 season.
After an impressive first season with Pirates, Seema scooped the Defender of the Season accolade at the 2026 PSL awards after making 37 appearances across all competitions. He also scored two goals.
The 23-year-old picked up where he left off, delivering solid performances even in the current campaign. He has featured in 11 matches in all competitions thus far, netting two goals and providing two assists.
After helping Pirates claim a 2-0 victory over Durban City FC on Wednesday night in Soweto, Ouaddou praised Seema’s impact and said the defender deserves his recent Bafana recognition.
OUADDOU CONGRATULATES SEEMA ON BAFANA CALL-UP
“Firstly, I want to congratulate him [Seema] and other members of the team who have been called to the national team,” Ouaddou said.
“I thank Pitso as well for calling him. It means he has been following his work from last season. He’s the future of South African football. We have so much talent in that position [centre-back], and I hope this call-up will give him confidence to continue to work and grow.
“But I’m not surprised; he’s somebody who is good mentally, professional, and coachable. It’s very important for me because to improve, you need to be coachable and be able to understand and listen.
“He’s starting to know me now because I can be hard. Last season I was really hard with him, but it’s for his good and his performance. We work a lot on the quality of his passes, short passes and long passes.
“So we are really happy, and our technical staff and the club are very happy about this call-up. I hope he’s going to continue and bring us this experience from the national team.”
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