Hugo Broos hails Teboho Mokoena on 50th Bafana Bafana cap and promises 'he will have even more'

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has praised Mamelodi Sundowns' Teboho Mokoena for achieving his 50th cap with the national team.

The experienced defensive midfielder hit the 50th cap when he played in the friendly game against Zambia at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on Saturday. To crown the moment, Bafana went on to win the game by a 3-1 margin.

Oswin Appollis, Mohau Nkota, and Sphephelo Sithole scored for Bafana, while Zambia's goal was scored by Sabobo Banda in that game.

“I congratulate him, certainly. It is not everyone who earns 50 caps, and now he will have even more (in the future). Teboho Mokoena has become one of the most important South African national team players,” Broos told SABC Sports after the game.

“Teboho has been with the national team every step of the way since I've been the coach, which means he basically played all 50 of his games with me," he added.

“It is a fantastic achievement, and everyone knows that he is very important to us. Everyone saw in the second half that we missed his game intelligence a bit."

On his part, the Masandawana star hailed Percy Tau and former Bafana head coach Stuart Baxter, who gave him his debut. To him, Tau, a former Al Ahly star, is a mentor.

Tau, who has been mostly snubbed by Broos, is currently playing in Vietnam for V League 1 side Thep Xanh Nam Dinh. That means the former Sundowns could miss the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals set to begin in Morocco next month.

“This is a big day in my life; I’m very grateful to have come this far,” Tebza, as Mokoena is famously known, told SABC Sport after the match.

“Today [Saturday] is my 50th cap. I’m very excited and looking forward to the future. I’m feeling very happy; I don’t have words to express myself, but I want to thank coach Hugo because I started being a regular under him," he added.

“I also want to thank [Stuart] Baxter because he is the one who gave me a Bafana debut. And I also want to thank everyone who sent me messages before the game, even during the week. I appreciate it."

“I just want to give credit to Percy Tau because during my first cap he was around, and he was the one who told me my time is going to come.

“Unfortunately, he’s not here today, but I want to give him his flowers for always being there for me."

Given how integral he has been for Broos, Mokoena is set to be part of the AFCON-bound squad.

Although he was part of the squad that featured in the World Cup qualifiers, he was a subject of national and international debate when Lesotho raised his suspension case.

Finally, FIFA deducted Bafana's points after it found out that Mokoena was suspended and should not have played against Lesotho in March.

However, South Africa weathered the storm and booked a place in the 2026 finals, and Mokoena is largely expected to be in Broos' squad for the global showpiece.

The 1996 African champions will be part of the World Cup finals for the first time since they hosted in 2010.

Meanwhile, South Africa will begin their AFCON Group B campaign with a match against Angola on December 22 before facing perennial champions Egypt on December 26.

Their final group game will be against neighbours Zimbabwe on December 29. However, Bafana players will return for their club duties before fully focusing on the continental assignments next month.