Kwayiba hopes to use his hometown call-up to impress Bafana coach Broos

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos rates Chippa United attacking midfielder Sinoxolo Kwayiba highly and hopes he will impress at training and become a regular in the squad.

Kwayiba, from Gqeberha, is part of the 23-man squad Broos has assembled for South Africa’s 2025 Afcon Group K qualifier against second-placed Congo at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in the player's home city on Friday (7pm).

The 24-year-old joined the Bafana Bafana camp on Sunday as a late replacement for Stellenbosch’s Jayden Adams, who was dropped by Broos for bad behaviour.

Big on discipline, the 72-year-old Belgian coach said one of the main factors that would determine Kwayiba’s future with Bafana was how he carried himself in the squad.

“Kwayiba has been performing well for his club,” Broos said. “Yes, he is not playing for a top team, but when we see a player with the qualities that we want he can play for Chippa, Pirates, Sundowns or Arrows.

“I do not look at the team he plays for, I just look at the player’s performance.

“Kwayiba is powerful and big and he has some of the qualities that we need in our team, and again, he was selected because of his performance. But it is up to him now to show us at training and his behaviour in the group, then we will see if he gets a call-up again.

“Let’s hope he’ll stay in the team.”

Broos has been big on sourcing players who turn out in developmental combinations for Bafana in the Southern African Cosafa Cup. 

Kwayiba was part of assistant coach Helman Mkhalele’s Cosafa squad in Gqeberha in June.

This is his maiden call-up for Broos's senior team and he will be motivated to perform.

“I appreciated the Cosafa call-up as well because I got to experience that is needed from a player to be part of Bafana Bafana,” Kwayiba said. “Though I got the call-up for Cosafa, my biggest dream was to get a senior team call-up.

“I am very excited to be among the Bafana Bafana senior players now because some of them are my role models and people I look up to.

“So being here also inspires me.

“I would love for the people of the Eastern Cape to fill up the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Friday to support the team.

“If I am given a chance to play, I will do my absolute best to do well and help the team win so that I am called again for the next game.

“I wouldn’t want for this to be my first and the last call-up to play for Bafana so I will do my best.”

He said the players had been hard at training preparing for Friday’s showdown.

“Congo is not a team that I follow much, but I have watched a couple of their matches before.

“But as players who are here, who have been called up to play on Friday, we know what is expected of us.

“Even at training, players are giving their all and I am positive that we will win Friday’s match,” he said.

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