Kaizer Chiefs legend Khumalo slams Bafana Bafana for 'dividing the nation'

• Khumalo was part of the Bafana Bafana golden generation
• He now shares his thoughts on the current crop of players
• He says sport, Bafana Bafana particularly, is now a tool for dividing South Africa

WHAT HAPPENED? Bafana won the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations title with Khumalo as part of that triumphant squad and the legendary player has now compared the current state of football to his successful era. The ex-Chiefs star feels the country was previously united by sport but that unity has dissipated, leaving the nation divided.

WHAT HE SAID: “They have deprived South Africans of what Madiba started,” said Khumalo as per Sowetan Live. “We have to eat humble pie and go back to the drawing board, and let’s interrogate what made us so powerful in sports, all sporting codes. He [Mandela] did say that through sports we can unite the nation but through sports, we are dividing the nation today.

“Unfortunately, it’s only those, which I’m not scared to mention, like the PSL and Safa ... they are taking us to another level.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: After South Africa's readmission into Fifa in 1992, the country experienced a rise in football. They were crowned African champions in 1996 before qualifying for the 1998 and 2002 Fifa World Cup. But a sharp decline followed and continues today with the country regularly failing to qualify for major tournaments.

STORY IN THREE PHOTOS:

WHAT'S NEXT FOR BAFANA BAFANA? As South Africa try to reclaim their reputation as a continental football powerhouse, they are involved in friendly games this week in preparation for 2023 Afcon qualification. Bafana host Mozambique on Thursday, before playing against Angola on Sunday. The international friendly games come before the resumption of Afcon qualifiers in March 2023 where back-to-back matches against Liberia await.