As Bafana Bafana continue with their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, Nick Said looks at the most used XI under coach Hugo Broos by minutes played.
GOALKEEPER
RONWEN WILLIAMS – 2 479 MINUTES
Who else but Bafana’s No 1 and his trusted captain (left), with whom Hugo Broos has developed a strong relationship. His 2 479 minutes are the most of any player in the squad. He has played every competitive fixture under Broos, just missing six friendly games.
RIGHT-BACK
KHULISO MUDAU – 1 383
Mudau overtook early favourite Nyiko Mobbie for minutes against Zimbabwe in June and is now Broos’ most used right-back. He has made the jersey his own with some superb performances and looks to have no real challenger for the position at the moment.
CENTRE-BACK
SIYANDA XULU – 1 827
Xulu was a dominant feature of Broos’ teams up until the 2–0 loss to Mali in the opening game of the Africa Cup of Nations, where he put in poor display. He was perhaps fortunate Broos stuck with him for so long after several errors-trewn outings.
CENTRE-BACK
MOTHOBI MVALA – 1 683
Mvala has been a rock at the back for Bafana. He is also prone to errors, but still remains the most consistent and accomplished of the centre-backs in the squad. The emergence of Siyabonga Ngezana alongside him is interesting and the pair seemed to complement each other well in the recent World Cup qualifiers.
LEFT-BACK
AUBREY MODIBA – 1 718
Left-back remains a worry for Bafana. Modiba is a decent option going forward but is not equipped defensively to deal with top teams and Bafana have been continuously exposed on his side. But who else?
RIGHT MIDFIELD
TEBOHO MOKOENA – 2 402
The most used outfield player by Broos and it is easy to see why – Mokoena (near right) is in many ways the heartbeat of the team with his box-to-box style and ability to score from nothing and create chances for others. He is vital and the best midfielder in the country by some distance.
CENTRAL MIDFIELD
SPHEPHELO SITHOLE – 1 433
‘Yaya’ has been a revelation since coming into the side with his powerful performances in the midfield and ability to pick a pass going forward. Is he the finished article? No, but there is lots to work with there and at the age of 25, he can only get better.
LEFT MIDFIELD
THEMBA ZWANE – 1 446
After Infamously not selecting Zwane (right) in the early part of Broos’ reign as he was deemed too old, the Belgian coach has repeatedly apologised for that error. Since scoring a brace against Sierra Leone in November 2022, Zwane has been a regular and missed just one competitive fixture, and remains as influential as ever.
RIGHT FORWARD
PERCY TAU – 1 571
Tau is the forward with the most minutes under Broos and continues to get them despite recent criticism of his displays from outside the team. He remains an important player for Bafana and would like nothing more than to realise his dream of playing at a World Cup.
CENTRE FORWARD
EVIDENCE MAKGOPA – 1 086
This has been a problem position for Broos, who has yet to discover his perfect No 9. He would have hoped Lyle Foster would be that, but several issues have meant he has been limited to only 524 minutes so far. Makgopa has been in and out of the side, and was the main man at the Cup of Nations finals, but then dropped for the recent World Cup qualifiers.
LEFT FORWARD
BONGOKUHLE HLONGWANE – 1 031
Hlongwane was a mainstay in the early part of Broos’ reign but just as his form has picked up in Major League Soccer, he has been dropped from the national set-up. He is wasteful in front of goal, but also has an X-factor and good pace.
