Hugo Broos vs Mbekezeli Mbokazi: Bafana Bafana assistant coach Helman Mkhalele shares latest on duo ahead of AFCON build-up against Ghana

South Africa, just like the other 23 teams bound for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), have been holding an intensive and highly focused training camp at the High-Performance Centre in Pretoria to fine-tune their preparations ahead of next week’s departure for the competition in Morocco.

The camp has provided the squad with an opportunity to flesh out tactics, build team chemistry and address key areas that will be crucial for success on the continent’s biggest stage. 

On Tuesday, Hugo Broos' men are scheduled to play Ghana in their final build-up game ahead of the biennial continental competition. South Africa will then leave for North Africa a day later.

It explains why Broos wanted all the available players in camp, which will help the national team get the tactics right. However, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, who has been rising  in the last couple of months, arrived late.

“Mbokazi, he just arrived or will arrive in 15 minutes,” Broos told the media at the Bafana camp. 

“I didn’t want to talk about it, but you asked the question, and you have the right to know that I’m not pleased about it. He let us know that he missed his flight yesterday in Durban, it was the coach of Pirates who informed me. And he was very angry that he missed his flight because, and that’s his word, ‘it’s an unprofessional attitude’.

“And I think I spoke already to you about (the) unprofessional attitude of South African players. Again, an example of it. Then Pirates sent me a message with nonsense – really nonsense, why he missed his flight and I will not tell you what they said – and that is the worst thing that a club protects the player of his unprofessional attitude,” he continued.

“This is South Africa, and this is very bad – very, very bad. When you’re a 19-year-old guy and you receive a call-up from the national team for AFCON, and to play World Cup next year, and the coach gives you a few more days off, if you are somebody with a good attitude, you don’t even want those two days and you are here on Monday with the other players.

“So, I will have a chat with him after training. And I can assure you he is a black guy, and he will get out of my room as a white guy. Because that I can’t accept. But I know why, I know why. Suddenly Mboki (Mbokazi) is a star – he thinks he is a star!

“This is the attitude of a star, ‘I will decide when I come’. I will explain it to him. I’m very angry, very angry about his attitude,” he concluded.

In his latest update to the media, Bafana Bafana assistant coach Helman Mkhalele has confirmed a solution has been reached, and the duo is now good to go.

“I won’t go to the actual what you call, each and every point,” the former South Africa midfielder revealed the latest from Pretoria.

“But I’d say that issue has been resolved because it is important for us to make sure that we resolve issues like that in order to make sure again that we continue with our preparations.

“So the issue of Mbokazi has been settled," the 56-year-old concluded.

Mbokazi is expected to play a starring role for the national team in Morocco despite being just 20 years old and with limited experience as opposed to a few of his compatriots.

He will then turn his attention to Major League Soccer, where he recently joined Chicago Fire.