Furious ex-Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Jabu Mahlangu tears Orlando Pirates legend Benedict Vilakazi for suggesting Hugo Broos sacking insisting 'you have badges & you aren't coaching even in first division'

In their analysis on iDiski TV, Benedict 'Tso' Vilakazi and Junior Khanye were discussing Bafana Bafana's performance in the 2025 AFCON.

Coach Hugo Broos' men were not convincing despite finishing second in their Group which was won by Egypt.

Bafana Bafana then failed to get past the Round of 16, where they were undone by the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, who won 2-1 to advance.

The Orlando Pirates legend and his colleague, who played for Kaizer Chiefs as a winger, felt Broos is out of ideas and should be replaced, and someone else should prepare the team for the 2026 World Cup to be co-hosted by Mexico, Canada, and the United States.

Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Jabu Mahlangu has now slammed Vilakazi for his sentiments, stating he should not focus on only the negative aspects, but on what Broos has achieved with the team.

“I hear that Tso Vilakazi says coach Broos must be fired,” Mahlangu told PlaySpot.

“It’s still early in the year. And I think Tso is still in December. He is a coach, and he has badges, but he is not coaching at all. Why is he not coaching so that we can see? He is so reckless with the way he speaks, and I think the current players will not respect him. Broos has done so much for Bafana, and sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose.

“I need to address something with your show that just criticises and only focuses on negative things. You do not have facts, and now you say Broos must be fired, after he built the team. Now we have a pool of players, a database that we did not have before this guy," the former Bafana Bafana player added.

With barely six months to go before the 2025 FIFA World Cup, Mahlangu insists even the new coach can't make any meaningful changes.

“Why would you fire a coach with only five months before the World Cup? What’s the new coach going to do in that short space of time?” The 45-year-old continued.

“It has been a long time since we lost because of this guy. Our dignity is back. The stadiums were empty before Hugo Broos, but the support is back, and the stadiums are full, even though it’s not a full house. However, the support is back, and it’s nice at the stadiums. You guys need to respect our coach; you don’t respect our head coach.

“You have badges, but you are busy bashing other coaches. And you are not even coaching in the first division or lower leagues. I am defending South Africa and our head coach because we cannot ignore his record and his work. We now have a team and direction in our country,” Mahlangu concluded.

In his recent interview with the media, Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie explained why Broos will remain at the helm of the national team.

“Go back a few years; Hugo Broos truly woke up Bafana Bafana," he said in his interview with the media.  

"I hear people are saying, ‘Now it’s time for Hugo Broos to go … to go where? Hugo Broos is going nowhere. Hugo Broos is going to Mexico [to the FIFA World Cup]; that is where he is going. This mentality of constantly changing coaches is unacceptable. 

"The national team is not a joke. “Hugo Broos has come in and put in a solid structure in our national team. Furthermore, how do you blame the coach if players don’t score?” McKenzie added.