Mamelodi Sundowns defender Khuliso Mudau faces lengthy lay-off after Achilles rupture

Khuliso Mudau is expected to miss the rest of the year after suffering an Achilles rupture, dealing a major blow to both Mamelodi Sundowns and South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.

The 31-year-old right-back sustained the injury during Sundowns’ 2-0 Betway Premiership victory over Marumo Gallants at Loftus on Wednesday. Coach Miguel Cardoso confirmed that Mudau would be sidelined for a “long, long time”.

Mudau is set to undergo surgery after being assessed by a specialist. His absence will deprive Sundowns of an experienced defender for important fixtures in the Betway Premiership, MTN8, Nedbank Cup and Champions League.

He is also likely to miss Bafana Bafana’s crucial 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Guinea, Eritrea and Kenya, with the fixtures scheduled for September and November.

“Unfortunately, we have a severe injury to Khuliso Mudau and he will be out for a long, long time,” Cardoso said.

“It is an Achilles rupture. He will be seen by a specialist immediately and do surgery so he can start the recovery process.

“We don’t control those things because he was alone in the action. There was no contact from an opponent, there was no tackle.

“It happened like accidents happen, sometimes injuries like this do happen.”

Mudau has become the latest addition to an increasingly long injury list at Sundowns. Thapelo Morena, Keanu Cupido, Teboho Mokoena and Arthur Sales are also receiving treatment.

Mokoena and Chicago Fire centre-back Mbekezeli Mbokazi are among the players unavailable to Bafana Bafana, meaning Mudau’s injury further weakens the national team ahead of their upcoming qualifying campaign.

Sundowns have received more encouraging news regarding defender Khulumani Ndamane, who is close to returning to action. The young national team centre-back played 60 minutes in a practice match on Wednesday and is considered to be in a good condition to resume his comeback.

Cardoso urged supporters to show patience while the club manages its injury problems and decides when players are ready to return.

“There are many situations that we don’t control. Teboho Mokoena’s injury from our first match ruled him out of the team.

“There is Thapelo Morena, Keanu Cupido and Arthur Sales. I see people talking so much about Ndamane’s whereabouts and he will appear in the right moment.

“I also don’t want to put players under pressure to play when they are not in the best condition. We need to protect players but on Wednesday he [Ndamane] played 60 minutes in a practice match and he is in a good space.

“I think we are doing things in the right way by integrating the players and putting them in to play when they can perform. What we are asking from our fans is to have some patience to understand and don’t expect things that cannot happen.

“Something they expect us to play players that are injured. We have a lot of work together with the medical and conditioning department to manage players and decide when to expose them.”

Cardoso explained at the weekend that Ndamane’s delayed return had been caused by a disrupted off-season. The defender travelled to the 2026 Fifa World Cup with Bafana Bafana but did not play, before being given time off alongside Sundowns’ other internationals after returning to the club.

That break, combined with a late start to Sundowns’ pre-season, left Ndamane without match fitness. Cardoso said the club was gradually reintegrating him rather than exposing him before he was ready.