Mbokazi And Smith Nominated For CAF Award

Orlando Pirates’ rising defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Tylon Smith have been nominated for the CAF Young Player of the Year award.

Smith was part of the Amajita squad that won the U-20 CAF Youth Championship in May, when Raymond Mdaka’s side defeated Morocco in the final.

The former Stellenbosch FC defender was named Player of the Tournament, earning him a big move to Queens Park Rangers (QPR) in the English Championship.

Smith also featured for Amajita at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, where South Africa reached the Round of 16 before losing to a more experienced Colombia side.

Morocco went on to win the tournament, beating the highly fancied Argentina 2-0 this past weekend — a result that brought great pride across the continent.

Meanwhile, Mbokazi earned his nomination following his outstanding performances for Orlando Pirates last season. He was appointed vice-captain during the off-season and has often worn the armband in the absence of Nkosinathi Sibisi, including when Pirates lifted the MTN8 title earlier this season.

Mbokazi has also cemented his place in the Bafana Bafana setup, featuring in three of the past four matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

However, he was sent off in the final minute of Bafana’s draw against Zimbabwe at the Moses Mabhida Stadium two weeks ago. As a result, he missed the victory over Rwanda, which sealed Bafana Bafana’s qualification for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2002.