The Cosafa Cup has always been a platform for players for upcoming local talents to put their hands up to be considered for regular Bafana Bafana action.
You can take it as far back as possible, you’ll find names like Itumeleng Khune, Teko Modise, Siphiwe Tshabalala, Percy Tau and many more, who all starred on this platform to become Bafana legends.
Things can change very quickly for any player when they perform at the Cosafa Cup. This edition will be no different as yet another group of Mzansi’s next big talents gathered in Durban to represent the nation under the guidance of an absolute legend and current Bafana assistant coach Helman Mkhalele.
The people of kwaLanga have created a poster inviting people over to come celebrate and watch local star Chumani Butsaka in today’s 5pm clash against Mozambique where Bafana begin their campaign in the quarterfinals.
These are the little things that remind one that, as imperfect as things are currently in SA football, these are moments meant to be cherished.
Butsaka has always been highly regarded at his NFD club Cape Town Spurs, where he came up the youth ranks at those famous Ikamva grounds while the club was still called Ajax Cape Town.
This could be his moment to show the rest of Cosafa why former coach Andries Ulderink believed he was ready for the big time back in 2018 already.
That’s when the former Ajax mentor promoted the now 20-year-old winger. Things didn’t really work out as planned, unfortunately, with Ulderink walking away from the project halfway through a campaign where promotion was very possible.
He gets his shot to showcase what type of players can be found in the NFD and be another example like Tau was after two seasons in the NFD before he got his chance to shine for Bafana and his then-parent club Mamelodi Sundowns.
And then there are guys Boitumelo Radiopane, the Orlando Pirates forward who everyone has been raving about in the big and bright lights of Gauteng.
The Pirates youngster is one of many players that have come through the national system working their way up from the U17 Amajimbos to graduating to the U20 Amajita and will now be full senior national players.
It’s a broken system because, with all the hype and noise about Radiopane and a strong showcase at at national level since his breakthrough in the 2018 Cosafa youth U17 edition, he will only really now experience a full season as a professional player when he moves to Cape Town Spurs where he’ll spend the season on loan.
It’s not ideal that a 19-year-old supposed star of the future only gets regular top-flight action a whole year after he has already been crowned the MDC Reserve League Top Goalscorer and Player of the Season.
This is his chance to make up for the opportunities lost during the 2021/22 off-season and excite Mzansi about the future of our football.
Goalkeeper Lincoln Vyver is another contribution by Cape Town Spurs to the national team. Alongside Ethan Brooks, the Spurs goal-minder is one of the returning stars from last year’s triumphant team.
He was the cover for now-Bafana vice-captain Veli Mothwa last year, but is expected to be the starter and be the senior player to the other two keepers in the squad Lebohang Nthene and Olwethu Mzimela.
At 21 years old, Vyver must be protected as a national asset, especially since more than half of the Premiership’s teams have foreigners as first-choice goalkeepers.
He doesn’t have to look very far for inspiration of how things can turn out as the Bafana number one. Besides Mothwa, he also has Khune and current number one Ronwen Williams as active examples of what is possible for him when he adds to his one Cosafa Cup match.
Mkhalele has a mixed bag of talents to choose from. The 96 Afcon-winning winger has also worked with some of the youngsters called-up for this squad when he was the U20 coach.
Guys like Ireland-based Katlego Mashigo might have disappeared into obscurity if Mkhalele hadn’t called him up to join this squad.