Hugo Broos reveals Orlando Pirates star 'you can always count on' and explains why he left out Siyabonga Ngezana

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has lauded Orlando Pirates defender Nkosinathi Sibisi after his performance against Zambia.

Sibisi was partnered at the heart of defence with his Bucs' captain, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, as South Africa defeated Chipolopolo 3-1 in a friendly match at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on Saturday.

Broos has said the Pirates defender, who was lined up in the absence of Siyabonga Ngezana, is a player he can always count on. The Belgian coach also explained why Ngezana was not part of his squad.

The Belgian tactician said he did not call up some players, including Ngezana, as he wanted to put out a different formation with different players.

"That's important, yeah. Any moment there can be an injury or suspension or whatever, but then you have to be ready, and also today that was the game to do and to give those players a chance," Broos told SABC after the game.

"Like in the back, ok, Sibisi, ok, I've known Sibisi for four years; you can always count on him," he added.

"And there are still other players who are behind, like Siyabonga Ngezana, for example, but I didn't call them up now because I wanted to see those guys."

Apart from Sibisi, Mohau Nkota, a former Pirates star, was also singled out for praise in a game where he found the back of the net.

“Mohau [Nkota] played a very good game. He was very aggressive, very quick, and also very dangerous," Broos said about the Bafana forward.

"But as I said, we didn’t do enough; we were a little bit soft; the tempo of the game was not very high in certain moments. But, okay, that can happen."

Broos' praise for Sibisi comes at a time the centre-back has been facing criticism from the club's supporters.

When the Sea Robbers played and lost 3-0 to Saint-Eloi Lupopo in the first leg of the CAF Champions League preliminary round, Sibisi was a subject of criticism.

Head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou was also questioned for dropping Lebone Seema and going with the Sibisi-Mbokazi partnership at the back.

However, the criticism seems not to have any influence on Broos, who had also played Sibisi in the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Rwanda. The Bucs star was partnered with Khulumani Ndamane as Bafana went on to win 3-0 and seal their place in the World Cup finals.

The Zambia friendly was organised in order to help Broos' charges sharpen before the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals.

According to Broos, Bafana could play only one more game before heading to Morocco for the continental games.

“No, we will play one game. I don’t like to play two or three games before we go. We played enough games against African teams, so we don’t have to play against another African team, because [like] we don’t know African football," Btroos said.

“We played the last four years nearly only against African teams. So we don’t have to play another two or three games before we go to AFCON; we don’t need that. It will be a little bit different when we play in next year's World Cup. That is something else, and the preparation will be different also."

“But now we just try to have good preparation, and that the team is really at 100% when they start, and that we don’t start like we started the last AFCON with a defeat. I want to win that first game.”

Bafana will face Angola, Zimbabwe, and record champions Egypt in Group B. Having reached the semi-finals in the last edition, Bafana's ambition is to do better in Morocco.