Cyril Ramaphosa Makes Surprise Bafana Bafana Dressing Room Visit Before Egypt Win

Cyril Ramaphosa Makes Surprise Bafana Bafana Dressing Room Visit Before Egypt Win

  • Cyril Ramaphosa made a surprise visit to the Bafana Bafana changeroom before the Egypt friendly in Cairo
  • The President met the squad before watching South Africa secure another impressive international victory
  • Pitso Mosimane also had a message for the young players who stepped up against Egypt
Bafana Bafana
Bafana Bafana in action against Egypt. President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the Bafana Bafana dressing room before their international friendly against Egypt in Cairo. Image: safa.net
Source: UGC

President Cyril Ramaphosa paid a pre-match visit to the Bafana Bafana dressing room at the Cairo International Stadium on Sunday, 4 October 2026, shortly before South Africa faced Egypt.

According to the South African Football Association (SAFA), Ramaphosa was introduced to the players by SAFA president Dr Danny Jordaan and coach Pitso Mosimane. He later watched the match from the stands as Bafana secured a 1-0 victory.

The President was in Egypt for the 8th African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting, making the dressing-room appearance an unexpected football highlight of his visit.

The moment came just before a reshuffled Bafana side took on one of Africa's most recognised football nations.

Read also

Puso Dithejane, two other Bafana Bafana stars earn praise after victory over Egypt

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Cyril Ramaphosa and Danny Jordaan
President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the Bafana Bafana dressing room before their international friendly against Egypt in Cairo. Image: safa.net
Source: UGC

Puso Dithejane delivers the winning moment

Mosimane made several changes after South Africa's recent 5-0 win over Eritrea in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The coach handed opportunities to several younger players, including Puso Dithejane and Shandre Campbell. Dithejane ultimately produced the decisive moment when he scored in the 50th minute to secure Bafana's third consecutive victory.

Speaking after the match, Mosimane explained that the unfamiliar combination needed time to settle.

“Yeah, it was a little difficult, you saw in the first five minutes that we could not find our feet,” Mosimane said, according to SAFA.
“It’s normal because we brought in the younger ones. We changed the whole team.”

He was particularly pleased with the attitude of the youngsters.

“What I like is that they’re not afraid to play and we need to give them a chance,” Mosimane added.
“I let them swim with the sharks, threw them in the deep end. Yeah, they swam, hey?”

Read also

Bafana Bafana rise in latest FIFA Rankings after beating Egypt in Cairo

Bafana Bafana continue strong run under Mosimane

The victory over Egypt capped a productive international window for South Africa, following wins over Guinea and Eritrea.

The result extended Bafana's winning run to three matches, while Jordaan congratulated the players and said they had made the nation proud.

Bafana are scheduled to return to Johannesburg on Monday, 5 October 2026.

Bafana Bafana climb in FIFA rankings after Egypt victory

Briefly News previously reported that Bafana Bafana completed a perfect start under Pitso Mosimane with a 1-0 victory over Egypt in Cairo. Puso Dithejane scored on his senior international debut after Shandre Campbell's assist.

The result also brought another reward for South Africa, with Bafana moving up to 48th in the latest FIFA World Rankings.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Dzikamai Matara avatar

Dzikamai Matara Dzikamai Matara is a sports and news writer at Briefly News with over a decade of journalism and editorial experience across Southern African digital media. Prior to joining Briefly News, Dzikamai served as Senior News & Current Affairs Editor at iHarare for six years, overseeing breaking news desks and sports feature coverage. He brings extensive experience in sports profiling, live match reporting, and investigative current affairs analysis. Email him at dzikamai.matara@briefly.co.za