Pitso Mosimane Explains Why Yanela Mbuthuma Earned His Bafana Bafana Call-Up

• Yanela Mbuthuma’s Bafana Bafana call-up has raised questions among supporters, with Pitso Mosimane now explaining what stood out to him about the Orlando Pirates striker
• The 24-year-old forward’s goalscoring record has been part of the discussion, but Mosimane has pointed to other qualities that influenced his decision
• With Bafana Bafana preparing for their AFCON 2027 qualifiers, Mosimane has made it clear why he believes Mbuthuma deserves an opportunity at international level

Pitso Mosimane has explained why Orlando Pirates striker Yanela Mbuthuma earned a place in his first Bafana Bafana squad, despite questions around the forward’s goalscoring record. Mbuthuma, 24, is one of five players receiving their maiden senior call-ups after Mosimane reduced his preliminary squad from 35 to 30 players.

Mosimane explains Mbuthuma selection

Speaking about the decision, Mosimane pointed to qualities he believes extend beyond statistics. As reported by IOL, he said:

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“I think he’s a national team player. He scores goals for Orlando Pirates. I think you’ve seen him scoring a few goals in Orlando Stadium.”

Mosimane acknowledged that supporters may expect more goals from the striker but said there were other factors behind the selection.

“And yes, maybe he’s not scoring as much as you want, but he does score and he’s got a physical presence also and he’s hungry,” he added.

The Bafana coach then issued a straightforward message to those questioning the call-up:

“Give him a chance.”

Yanela Mbuthuma gets Bafana Bafana opportunity

Mbuthuma is among five newcomers in Mosimane’s final squad, alongside Lebone Seema, Brooklyn Poggenpoel, Puso Dithejane and Tashreeq Matthews. SAFA confirmed the selections on 18 September 2026.

South Africa will begin their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign against Guinea at Orlando Amstel Arena on 26 September. They then face Eritrea in Cairo on 30 September before playing Egypt in a friendly on 4 October.

Mosimane said his selection process involved assessing availability and why each player was called up. He also confirmed that injuries had affected his choices.

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Bafana Bafana prepare for AFCON qualifiers

Mbuthuma now has the opportunity to make his international debut during Mosimane’s first competitive window since returning as Bafana coach.

South Africa have retained much of the core that represented the country at the 2026 FIFA World Cup while adding several younger players.

For Mbuthuma, the immediate task is to turn his first Bafana opportunity into minutes on the international stage. Mosimane has made it clear that he sees qualities in the Pirates forward that he believes can serve the national team.

Pitso Mosimane introduces new Bafana Bafana captaincy plan

Briefly News also reported that Pitso Mosimane has made another notable change ahead of Bafana Bafana’s AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign, this time involving the team’s leadership structure.

The coach has explained why several players will share captaincy responsibilities, with his reasoning offering an insight into how he plans to manage the squad.

Source: Briefly News