Mamelodi Sundowns defender Rushine De Reuck says that while it is a big privilege for him to be named as Bafana Bafana’s vice-captain for the Cosafa Cup, the side have a responsibility to make the fans proud.

The 2021 edition of the Cosafa Cup kicks off on Tuesday afternoon, with Bafana starting their campaign against Botswana at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, with kick-off set for 5pm.

The squad have been ravished by various issues, including Covid-19 scares and a number of Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates players having to pull out leaving only nine members of the original squad available for the tournament.

As a result, assistant coach Helman Mkhalele, who is in charge while head coach Hugo Broos receives his second vaccine jab in Europe, has had to make several changes to the squad with De Reuck named as vice-captain.

“It’s a big privilege and responsibility to me,” said De Reuck.

“We have the responsibility to make the fans and people of South Africa proud. I hope that I can excel in this position and help the players around me. Hopefully we can do well in the tournament. It’s a big honour to be here because there are many good footballers that are not here.”

With Covid-19 currently wrecking havoc in Gauteng, De Reuck admitted that it’s sad fans are still not available for the clash.

“It’s really sad,” said De Reuck. “Some things are out of your control. As footballers, we strive to have fans in the stadium. It is important that people comply with protocols so that we can do better as a nation.

“We are looking forward to fans returning to the stadium because we look forward to having our families at the stadium. With that not taking place, it’s a bit sad.”