Duba hat-trick earns Bafana Bafana backing from Kaizer Chiefs coach

Wandile Duba’s record-breaking hat-trick has led Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando Da Cruz to suggest the forward could earn a place in Bafana Bafana if he improves his consistency.

The 22-year-old scored all three goals as Kaizer Chiefs beat TS Galaxy 3-0 at FNB Stadium on Tuesday evening to reach the Carling Knockout quarter-finals.

Duba became the first Amakhosi player in the PSL era to score a hat-trick in a League Cup competition. He is also the first Kaizer Chiefs player to score three goals in a match since Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana’s treble against Stellenbosch FC in October 2022.

Da Cruz praised Duba’s performance but stressed that the young forward still needed to develop before he could be considered for international football.

“I’m very happy for Duba, because he’s a young player,” said Da Cruz at his post-match press conference.

“Sometimes, he has a lot of ups and downs. He must improve his consistency. He’s a good player; he’s able to drop and make deep runs. He’s very good in front of goal, but he must continue to work hard and listen to the coach. Maybe if he continues to work very hard, he can become a player for Bafana Bafana.”

Duba’s goals all came in an 18-minute spell after a goalless first half at the Nasrec venue.

He opened the scoring three minutes after the interval, finishing Pule Mmodi’s low cross after a move involving Mduduzi Shabalala and Mmodi down the right.

His second arrived in the 62nd minute after Melusi Mathebula saved Mfundo Vilakazi’s penalty. The ball struck the post, but Duba reacted first to score from close range.

The penalty had been awarded when Veluyeke Zulu brought down Shabalala inside the box.

Duba completed his hat-trick four minutes later, running on to a precise through-ball from Shabalala before calmly finishing past the TS Galaxy goalkeeper.

The victory sent Kaizer Chiefs, who are also known as Amakhosi, into the last eight of the competition and took Duba’s total to six goals in seven domestic appearances across all competitions during the 2026/27 season.

The Mkhondo-born striker joined the Kaizer Chiefs youth structures in 2019 after coming through the Lenasia Football Academy. He made his senior debut on December 31, 2022, against Golden Arrows.