Kaizer Chiefs striker Wandile Duba backed for future Bafana Bafana call-up

Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando da Cruz believes Wandile Duba can earn a place in the Bafana Bafana squad if the young striker continues to develop and improve his consistency.

The 22-year-old has scored six goals in eight appearances across all domestic competitions this season, despite Chiefs’ recent difficulties in producing players for the national team.

Lebohang Maboe is currently the only Kaizer Chiefs player included in Bafana Bafana’s preliminary squad for two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Kenya this month.

Duba’s latest performance came in Saturday’s Soweto derby at FNB Stadium, where Orlando Pirates beat Kaizer Chiefs 2-1. The striker missed a significant opportunity in the first half of the match.

Four days earlier, however, Duba had taken his first career hat-trick as Amakhosi defeated TS Galaxy 3-0 in the first round of the Carling Knockout at the same stadium.

Da Cruz said the forward’s progress had been encouraging, but warned that he needed to become more dependable from game to game.

“I am very happy for Duba. He is a young player, and so sometimes he has a lot of ups and downs. He must improve his consistency,” Da Cruz said.

“He is a very good young player. He is able to drop back and make deep runs. He is very good in front of the goal, but he must continue to work hard, to listen to the coaches, and maybe if he continues to work hard, he can become a player for Bafana Bafana.”

Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane is expected to name his final squad for the two matches against Kenya before the end of this week.

South Africa will host Kenya at Orlando Amstel Arena on November 13 at 6pm, before travelling to Nairobi for the return fixture four days later.

Bafana Bafana began their qualifying campaign with victories over Guinea and Eritrea during the last Fifa window. Those results left South Africa top of Group D in the qualifiers for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations, which will be held in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.

Chiefs close in on Mokwana

Kaizer Chiefs are also expected to complete the signing of free-agent Bafana Bafana international Elias Mokwana in the next few days.

Mokwana, 27, has been without a club since leaving Tunisian side Esperance in September.

His arrival would provide another connection between Kaizer Chiefs and the national team, at a time when the club has had limited representation in the Bafana Bafana setup.