Mosimane’s return raises competition in Bafana Bafana squad, says Zwane

Orlando Pirates legend Eugene Zwane says Pitso Mosimane’s return as Bafana Bafana coach has increased competition for places and created a stronger sense of urgency among the players.

Mosimane began his second spell in charge with a 2-1 victory over Guinea in the 2027 AFCON qualifier at Orlando Stadium on Saturday. Goals from Ime Okon and Samukele Kabini, scored in either half, secured three points and gave South Africa the perfect start in Group D.

“Pitso’s arrival has stimulated a little bit of hunger and competition, because there are people Broos was already used to and was going to call regardless and with Pitso, all that is changing now,” Zwane told KickOff.

The former Pirates captain believes the change in the squad’s dynamics could help South Africa qualify for the tournament and perform well when they get there.

“You can see the hunger in the boys, they are pushing a little bit harder and I think if they sustain this level of performance, this level of commitment, we will be in the AFCON and we’ll do well in the AFCON,” he said.

Zwane also pointed to the composition of Group D, saying Bafana Bafana must take advantage of what he considers a favourable section by winning convincingly rather than settling for narrow victories.

“We’re lucky to be in a group that is not that hectic, there are no top teams but we need to dominate those games, we need to score a lot of goals, so that when we get to AFCON we continue,” he added.

He praised Mosimane for working with a broad selection of players, including those who were not part of the matchday squad against Guinea.

“I’m seeing flashes of hunger and commitment, maybe a little bit deeper than what we had under Broos. But okay, one game is not enough, we will see over the next couple of games. They are taking over where they left off at the World Cup. It’s good,” Zwane continued.

Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Khuliso Mudau and Thalente Mbatha were among the players unavailable, but Zwane said their absence did not leave the team looking short of quality.

“We’re also seeing a large pool of players, the likes of (Mbekezeli) Mbokazi, (Khuliso) Mudau, (Thalente) Mbatha are not there but we still have a large pool of talented players to plug in, nobody felt Mbokazi is not there, we’re struggling at the back, or Thalente is not there. We just need to score goals, we need to be a goal-scoring Bafana team, whether it’s a defender, midfielder or striker scoring, we just need to score goals,” he said.

Zwane added that South Africa’s ability to create opportunities must now be matched by greater efficiency in front of goal.

“Because we’re able to make entries into the final third, we’re able to create chances but we’re not converting enough and playing against some of these teams we can’t be winning by a one goal margin,” he said.

Bafana Bafana’s second Group D match is against Eritrea in Egypt on Wednesday evening.