Goals came courtesy of our very own Relebohile Mofokeng who netted the opener in the 60th minute of the match and then from Jayden Adams in the 64th minute.

While Mofokeng put in attacking masterclass for the entire match, defender Nkosinathi Sibisi – who also completed the whole match, produced a no-nonsense display alongside Siyabonga Ngezana, Khuliso Mudau, Fawaaz Basadien and keeper (and captain) Ronwen Willams.

Midfielder, Thalente Mbatha was handed minutes towards the end of the match.

With this victory, Bafana Bafana move to number one of Group C on 10 points; two points more than Benin who will be South Africa’s next opponents on March 25.

Hotto and Namibia earn vital win

Meanwhile, Deon Hotto and his countrymen of Namibia continue to their impressive run on the continent.

After surprising many in the 2024 Meanwhile, Hotto and Namibia’s Brave Warriors are proving that their remarkable run at the 2024 AFCON was no fluke. After stunning African football by reaching the knockout stages and defeating heavyweights like Tunisia along the way, Namibia are carrying that momentum into their FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.

Namibia are currently second in their group following a 1-0 win over Malawi last night. They now trail log leaders Tunisia by just two points, with five games to play.

Hotto was handed a starting berth and ended up playing for 76th minutes.

Namibia play Equatorial Guniea next (on March 24).

After he was included in Hugo Broos’ preliminary squad, the 24-year-old is one of 23 players that will represent the country in back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Congo.

As part of a heavy Buccaneers contingent in the team named for the crucial fixtures, he could join four other club teammates in debuting for Bafana Bafana in 2024. The year itself has been a special one for “Pepe”, whose young Bucs career has featured a couple of loan spells away from the club. Upon his return, he had to bide his time before he could feature for the first team, making a few appearances on the bench before starting away to Sekhukhune United in March.

Sesane did not take long to establish himself as a first team regular and has been instrumental in helping the club secure two cup titles within four months. His contribution in the most recent of these further underlined his importance to the Buccaneers as he produced a Man of the Match performance in contributing towards a historic third straight MTN8 title.

Looking back at the emotional moment when he discovered he was set for higher honours, the player revealed that he could not hold back the tears after receiving the call. “The time I found out I’m in Bafana Bafana squad, I was so happy,” he told orlandopiratesfc.com. “At the same time, I was crying. I called my mom, and she was so happy for me.”

No stranger to making the most of his playing opportunities, Sesane will be looking to do the same should he be afforded a chance over the two matches. He is in line to feature in Friday’s AFCON qualifier in Gqeberha as well as the return leg against The Leopards in Brazzaville next Tuesday.

The match at Nelson Mandela Bay kicks off at 19:00 while kick-off at Stade Alphonse Massemba-Débat is at 18:00.

Bafana Bafana resume their bid to qualify for the continental showpiece held next year in Morocco with back-to-back games against Congo. They currently sit in second place in Group K, with four points earned after going unbeaten in their two opening fixtures.

In the 23-man squad named for the qualifiers, Bucs Academy product Thabiso Sesane is among the new faces after receiving his maiden call-up. The defender’s inclusion follows his consistent performances for the Soweto Giants since returning from loan ahead of the 2023/24 season.

Having made himself an integral part of the Pirates starting XI, he stands to earn a first senior international cap in the upcoming weeks. The 24-year-old will follow in the footsteps of teammates Thalente Mbatha and Sipho Chaine, who both debuted for Bafana during the previous international break.

The pair has been retained in the squad, along with the midfield duo of Relebohile Mofokeng and Patrick Maswanganyi. Also in the mix is defender Nkosinathi Sibisi, who has been a regular in the national setup throughout the year.

Bafana host The Leopards in Gqebera on Friday, 11 October before travelling to Brazzaville for the return fixture four days later. More Pirates stars could be involved in the AFCON Qualifiers kicking off next week with more national federations expected to finalise their squads in the coming days.

Namibia, Nigeria, and South Africa all featured members of the current Buccaneers setup as they each began their bid to secure participation in the next continental showpiece event, taking place in Morocco next year. A total of seven Pirates players were involved in the September internationals, and orlandopiratesfc.com looks at how they fared over the past week.

Ndah’s Homecoming

It was a special homecoming for defender Olisa Ndah, who made his first appearance for Nigeria in over two years when they secured a convincing 3-0 win over Benin in Uyo over the weekend. The 26-year-old was brought on to replace Fulham centre-back Calvin Bassey in the second half and gave an assured display during his 27 minutes on the pitch.

He was named on the bench away to Rwanda but was not called upon as the Super Eagles toiled to a goalless draw. The four points earned by Nigeria in their two games see them take pole position in Group D, a point ahead of Benin.

Heartbreak for Hotto

For Namibia’s Deon Hotto, it was a tough few days as his side suffered close defeats in each of their two fixtures against Cameroon and Kenya, respectively. The 33-year-old started on the left wing and lasted the whole 90 minutes in the 1-0 loss away to the Indomitable Lions and netted a late consolation goal as the Brave Warriors lost 2-1 in their home game against the Harambee Stars played at Orlando Stadium on Tuesday.

The results mean that their next four AFCON Qualifiers present an uphill climb as they look to make their way up from the bottom of Group J.

Bafana’s Dramatic Voyage

Thalente Mbatha was the key figure in what was a dramatic start to South Africa’s qualification campaign, netting in injury time to salvage a point at home to Uganda before repeating the feat in South Sudan where his late strike secured a 3-2 victory against the hosts. The 24-year-old was making his international debut in the match played at Orlando Stadium, where he was a late substitution alongside Bucs teammate Relebohile Mofokeng, who earned both his second and third cap making an impact off the bench in both fixtures.

Also debuting for Bafana Bafana during the AFCON qualifiers was goalkeeper Sipho Chaine, whose special moment came in the victory against South Sudan. Meanwhile, defender Nkosinathi Sibisi and midfielder Patrick Maswanganyi were named on the bench for each of the two fixtures, but did not get the opportunity to feature.

South Africa is second in Group K, tied on four points with Uganda who edge them on goal difference.

After the home side led throughout the first half through Lyle Foster’s 14th minute strike, the match situation had changed drastically when Mbatha entered the fray with the East Africans striking twice in quick succession early in the second period. He was one of two Bucs players to feature in the all-important fixture along with Relebohile Mofokeng, who was brought on in the 72nd minute.

The duo was instrumental in shifting the momentum back in Bafana’s favour in a desperate attempt to salvage a point.

It was Mbatha who provided the decisive touch with seconds left on the clock as he struck from the edge of the penalty area with a left-footed shot that left goalkeeper Ismail Watenga motionless between the sticks. Describing his mindstate ahead of his dramatic cameo, the midfielder said he had to brush off some nerves ahead of his big moment.

“At first I was kinda nervous but I had told myself that I must try by all means to play my game and be myself,” he told orlandopiratesfc.com. “As the coach said that we are in the team because we deserve it from our performances in the league, and we should work harder now that we are there.”

The dream international debut was another career high for Mbatha, who has enjoyed a string of exciting moments in the past year. He revealed that he was grateful to have been afforded the opportunity.

“I want to thank God Almighty, because if it wasn’t for him I wasn’t gonna get the opportunity and I’m really proud and happy for myself and hope that more are coming,” Mbatha said.

Mbatha and Mofokeng will be eyeing more minutes as Bafana travel to South Sudan for their next AFCON qualifier, along with Sipho Chaine, Nkosinathi Sibisi, and Patrick Maswanganyi.

Meanwhile, more Buccaneers could be in action this evening with Deon Hotto part of the Namibia squad facing Cameroon in Garoua, while Olisa Ndah could feature for Nigeria when they host Benin in Uyo.