Thamsanqa Mkhize and Thembinkosi Lorch called up to Bafana Bafana

South Africa national team coach Stuart Baxter has called-up defender Thamsanqa Mkhize and attacker Thembinkosi Lorch to replace the injured Thapelo Morena and Vincent Pule as they will face Seychelles.

The Bafana Bafana boss has decided to rope in the Cape Town City skipper to replace the Mamelodi Sundowns speedy right-back while the Orlando Pirates attacker takes Pule's place in the team.

Baxter initially called-up the Masandawana defender for their upcoming back-to-back clashes against Seychelles in their 2019 Caf African Cup of Nations qualifiers, but the player has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury.

Morena sustained the injury during a warm-up ahead of their Premier Soccer League (PSL) match against Bidvest Wits last Sunday and has been replaced by the Citizens skipper.

Moreover, the Buccaneers midfielder Pule has been declared unvaialable for the two matches and his spot has been filled by his teammate, Lorch. Pule was a notable absentee against AmaZulu in the league on Saturday night as they drew 1-1-.

Although Morena and Pule were doubtful for the two matches, Baxter announced on Monday that they will undergo medical examination by Bafana doctors and the coach announced on Tuesday that they will not be available.

Mkhize is fresh from leading Benni McCarthy's men to MTN8 Cup glory a week ago and wiill join his club teammate in Thabo Nodada in Baxter's squad and the skipper is seen as a perfect replacement for Morena.

In addition, Lorch has also performed exceptionally well for the Ghost and joins the national side together with Innocent Maela as they represent Milutin Sredojevic's troops during this Fifa international break.

The 1996 African champions will meet the Islanders at the FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon as they want to bag a win at home before travelling out of the country for the second match set to be staged on Tuesday at Stade Linite.

Bafana currently occupy he second spot in Group E with four points after beating Nigeria and playing to a draw against Libya last month, a win will take them to seven points and boost their hopes of reaching the Afcon tournament in Cameroon next year.