Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Sipho Chaine and Mamelodi Sundowns stalwart Themba Zwane will be among his captains, new Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane said.
He has insisted that he does not believe in one captain.
Mosimane announced his first final squad since returning as the Bafana mentor at the start of this month at Safa House in Nasrec on Thursday.
Bafana face Guinea and Eritrea in back-to-back Afcon qualifiers at the Orlando Stadium and away on September 26 and 30, respectively.
SA have also lined up a friendly against Egypt in Cairo on October 4, hence Mosimane called up 30 players.
Under Mosimane’s predecessor, Hugo Broos, Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams was the sole skipper.
Mosimane has made it clear he will not have one skipper, confirming Chaine and Zwane as two of his captains, while Williams would also be in the committee.
“Captains? I don’t know; I believe in leadership in many ways, so we won’t have one captain. We will have a few captains.
“I will sometimes choose the captain of the day because if [Kylian] Mbappe is the captain [of France], I think we can also have a young captain,” Mosimane said.
“A captain doesn’t have to be a player because he’s 38, 35.
“Themba Zwane is one of my captains, so we need young captains; we need young boys to lead and learn.
“I don’t believe in one captain because if you are injured and not there [it’s an issue].
“Captain must always be playing, right? If you stay with one captain, you can’t call the other one.
“There are a lot of players who have good leadership [skills].
“Chaine is going to be one of the captains; same as Ronwen, he will remain my captain. Let’s go for it, let’s open up this thing.”
Mosimane also confirmed his goalkeeper coach would be announced in due course, but refused to speak about the players who did not make the final list.
Meanwhile, there are seven players who have immediately benefited from Mosimane’s return:
Lebone Seema (Orlando Pirates)
Seema, 23, has been in fine form since last season, where he helped Pirates win their maiden league title in 14 years, also walking away with the defender of the season award at the league’s year-end awards.
Lebohang Maboe (Kaizer Chiefs)
Maboe, 31, played a big role in Chiefs finishing third last term. The midfield workhorse has arguably been one of the best midfielders in the PSL in the past 18 months.
Tashreeq Matthews (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Despite his consistency in the past three seasons, where he scored more than 20 goals as a winger, the 26-year-old Matthews was never Broos’s cup of tea.
Yanela Mbuthuma (Pirates)
Mbuthuma was only called up once by Broos, playing a friendly against Mozambique when he was still at Richards Bay in June 2025. The Pirates striker, 24, has just found his groove, so Broos cannot be blamed for not selecting him.
Luther Singh (AEL Limassol, Cyprus)
Singh was also unsettled, changing clubs for the better part of Broos’s era. The 29-year-old forward seems to be now settled at Limassol, having scored nine goals and racked up six assists in 26 league games for his Cypriot side.
Puso Dithejane (Chicago Fire, US)
Dithejane, 22, never made the final Bafana squad before, albeit Broos included him in preliminary lists now and then. The ex-TS Galaxy star has been in red-hot form for his US side Chicago Fire.
Brooklyn Poggenpoel (Durban City)
Like Maboe, Poggenpoel made the World Cup preliminary team but was snubbed by Broos for the final list.
Final squad:
Keepers: Ronwen Williams, Ricardo Goss, Sipho Chaine
Defenders: Aubrey Modiba, Fawaz Basadien, Thapelo Morena, Thabang Matuludi, Khulumani Ndamane, Ime Okon, Lebone Seema, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Kamogelo Sebelebele, Samkelo Kabini, Olwethu Makhanya.
Midfielders: Teboho Mokoena, Bathusi Aubaas, Lebohang Maboe, Yaya Sithole, Brookley Poggenpoel.
Forwards: Themba Zwane, Iqraam Rayners, Cassius Mailula, Tashreeq Matthews, Relebohile Mofokeng, Thapelo Maseko, Luther Singh, Shandre Campbell, Yanela Mbuthuma, Oswin Appollis, Puso Dithejane. — Sowetan