Kaizer Chiefs legend Doctor Khumalo questions why Hugo Broos overlooked Amakhosi goalkeeper Brandon Petersen for Bafana Bafana's friendly against Zambia

Kaizer Chiefs legend Doctor Khumalo has questioned why Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos overlooked Amakhosi goalkeeper Brandon Petersen.

Despite good performances this season, Petersen was not named in the Bafana squad that will take on Zambia in a friendly match on Saturday.

Orlando Pirates' Sipho Chaine, Ricardo Goss of Siwelele FC, and Broos' regular first choice, Ronwen Williams of Mamelodi Sundowns, were named as goalkeepers for the friendly lined up.

“You can’t select a player that is not performing; you select based on performances at the club, and in the last seven games, it was a clean sheet for Petersen only when they played. Now against Orbit College, he conceded one after seven clean sheets,” Khumalo said on the DNA podcast.

“He was threatening Itu’s record. He really deserved the nod, but the question would be, "There are players that have scored crucial goals for their teams, but still they are not selected, [Tshegofatso] Mabasa and [Bradley] Grobler," he added.

“The person to probably address this situation is the coach himself.”

Khumalo's comment comes after another Amakhosi legend, Joseph 'Banks' Setlhodi, questioned why defensive midfielder Sibongiseni Mthethwa was also snubbed.

"Mthethwa is a very good, hard-working player; he makes Kaizer Chiefs tick," Setlhodi told KickOff.

"I cannot say he is underrated because football – we don't view it the same way. Why is he not with Bafana Bafana? That's a big question. The national team coach might not see what we see in the player. But personally, I believe he qualifies to be in the national team," he added.

"Mthethwa has brought so many things to the Kaizer Chiefs game. On the pitch, he is almost everywhere, covering his teammates, especially where danger is. He is always the first one to spot it."

Although a number of players from Chiefs have been doing better this season, Broos overlooked them once more. Petersen has managed to keep seven clean sheets from 11 Premier Soccer League games, but this was not enough to earn him a place in the Bafana squad.

Left-back Thabiso Monyane has also been impressive; the Glamour Boys are yet to lose in seven games in which the former Orlando Pirates star has played.

Although Broos has been snubbing Chiefs players, an exception was when he called up Mduduzi Shabalala, who went on to make his senior national team debut when Bafana beat Rwanda 3-0 in Mbombela in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

In fact, Shabalala was called up to replace Relebohile Mofokeng, who had suffered an injury before the decisive October qualifiers. He was in the provisional squad but was dropped when the final squad was named.

Although the Belgian has faced criticism because of his selection of players, he has been defended by a former Chiefs' assistant coach, Farouk Khan.

Khan said that although the Belgian has been questioned, the players he calls up have produced positive results.

“Even as a former Kaizer Chiefs person, I am not saying that there are no Chiefs players who stand out. But I have to be honest and look at the man’s results and say, ‘How can I argue with him when he is producing such great results?" Khan asked in an interview with FARPost.

“You can’t argue because the results are there for everyone to see. Even if he picks six or seven from one team and they win,” he added.

With the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) and World Cup finals ahead for South Africa, Broos will again be under scrutiny and criticism when he names his final squads for these tournaments.