Orlando Pirates midfielder Masindi Nemtajela is not disappointed by Bafana Bafana AFCON snub, focused on future

Masindi Nemtajela has made 14 appearances for Orlando Pirates across all competitions, proving the trust that coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has in him. His influence on the pitch and consistent performances have made him a fan favourite, with supporters pleased with his progress.

With the Buccaneers dominating the Bafana Bafana squad, following their exceptional start of the 2025/26 Premier Soccer League season, they became the first side to reach two final cups and go on to win both, while also sitting comfortably on the league log with 28 points and a game in hand.

The former Marumo Gallants midfielder was among the players expected to feature in Hugo Broos’ team for the Africa Cup of Nations. However, Nemtajela’s hopes were delayed, and he has shared that the snub has not affected him negatively, instead seeing it as an opportunity to further polish his performance.

After being crowned Carling Knockout Cup champion, the Venda-born star told the media that he is not disappointed about missing out on the Bafana final squad.

“I won’t say I’m disappointed,” Nemtajela as per iDiski Times.

“It was the first time that I got a call-up from the senior national team [against Zambia].

“I was used to playing the COSAFA tournament. But I believe it means I need to pull up my socks," he added.

Meanwhile, his agent, Nimrod Mbhalati, admitted to having mixed emotions but remained proud of how far his player has come.

"Part of me was a bit disappointed, you know, based on his recent form, he was performing, but part of me was not, because as good as he may be, I never expected him to achieve all the things he has achieved in such a short space of time," Mbhalati said to Soccer Laduma.

"But it's a learning curve for him, he would go back to the drawing board and try to make it for the World Cup squad."

He went on to explain that confidence has been the key ingredient in Nemtajela’s performance, driving him to become the player he is today.

"What makes Nemtajela stand out is confidence, besides talent. It's an open secret, everyone knows that Nemtajela is talented but you may be as talented as you may think but not being confident becomes a problem," Mbhalati said.

"That boy is very confident and he knows what he wants in life. Every game he plays, he plays like it's his last game.

"Number two, he's a different player, he is more of your N'Golo Kante, a modern number eight, where he covers a lot of space, which is something most number eights don't have.

"If you can check, with Nemtajela, when the team is attacking, he's there, when they are defending, he's there. So I think those are the two aspects that make him different," Mbhalati added.

The Soweto giants will make the necessary adjustments during the week as they prepare to face the Carling All-Stars team on Saturday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium. Meanwhile, Coach Ouaddou will hopefully have the opportunity to give some of the players who lack game time a valuable chance to prove themselves and allow the Bafana call-ups to get some rest before they travel with the national team.

They will continue to strengthen their squad at the back as life after star defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi begins, while also searching for a replacement to fill the now-vacant vice-captain position.