Mudau injury rules Sundowns and Bafana out for at least six months

Khuliso Mudau is expected to miss at least six months of football after rupturing his Achilles tendon, ruling the Mamelodi Sundowns defender out of a large part of the club’s demanding season and Bafana Bafana’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

Mudau sustained the injury during Sundowns’ match against Marumo Gallants a fortnight ago and has since undergone surgery. His recovery will begin with a medical process involving several stages, starting with the removal of his surgical stitches two weeks after the operation.

He will then wear a cast before moving into a moonboot, while his progress is closely monitored because of the sensitivity of the injury. Rehabilitation will begin after those initial stages.

The expected six-month absence would keep Mudau out of at least 30 matches for Sundowns. The club are competing in the Betway Premiership, MTN8, Carling KnockOut and Nedbank, as well as the CAF Champions League, FIFA Intercontinental Cup and CAF Super Cup.

Mudau will miss the MTN8 final, the entire Carling KnockOut competition, the FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the CAF Super Cup. His injury also removes him from consideration for Bafana Bafana’s 2027 AFCON qualifiers, which are scheduled to be played across three blocks from September until March.

If Bafana Bafana qualify for the AFCON finals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, which will take place from 19 June to 17 July, Mudau could still have an opportunity to be selected. That would depend on him returning to action and building up playing minutes at club level by that stage.

In his absence, Sundowns are expected to turn to Zuko Mdunyelwa and Thapelo Morena, while Kegan Johannes is also capable of filling the right-back role.

Mudau’s injury is particularly significant because of the consistency of his involvement since establishing himself at Sundowns. The only season in which he did not feature in at least 30 matches for the club was his first, when he had yet to become the team’s first-choice right-back.

His rehabilitation will therefore be carefully managed as Sundowns negotiate a schedule that includes domestic competitions and major continental and international fixtures.

The defender’s absence comes during one of the busiest periods of the campaign, with Sundowns facing commitments across seven competitions. It also deprives Bafana Bafana of an experienced option on the right side of defence during the opening stages of their route to the 2027 AFCON finals.

Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images