Pitso Dladla: Jiyane Injury Denied Arrows Star Bafana Call-Up
Golden Arrows head coach Pitso Dladla believes defender Ayanda Jiyane would already be part of the Bafana Bafana squad were it not for a nagging quad injury.
While Jiyane remains sidelined with the muscle strain, new Bafana Bafana head coach Pitso Mosimane included Arrows striker Ronaldo Van Neel in his preliminary squad for the upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Guinea on 27 September in South Africa and Eritrea at a neutral venue in Egypt.
During the extended FIFA international break, Bafana Bafana are also scheduled to face Egypt in a high-profile friendly match on 4 October.
Dladla—whose Durban-based side went toe-to-toe with Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 semi finals as part of a strong start under his tenure—feels blessed to manage a squad packed with emerging talent, insisting it is now up to the players to match that potential with raw ambition.
“Once he fully acclimatizes, you will see even more from him,” Dladla said of Van Neel, who joined Abafana Bes’thende from Hungry Lions during the off-season after winning the Motsepe Foundation Championship Golden Boot last term.
“It is immensely pleasing to see him get the nod for the national team. To be honest, we have so many talented players here. We have Nhlanhla Gasa—you can clearly see his bright future—along with Philani Khumalo and Sabelo Sithole. There is a deep pool of talent at this club.
“As long as they perform consistently and stay ambitious—players like Ayabulela Maxwele, Nhlanhla Zwane, and Khulekani Shezi, who is currently one of the finest right-backs in the country—the sky is the limit. They must maintain high personal ambitions.
“Regarding Jiyane, it is deeply unfortunate that he sustained a quad injury alongside Ntandoyenkosi Mabaso, which has sidelined both of our primary central defenders. I firmly believe that if Jiyane were injury-free, he would have earned a national team call-up, because last season he was comfortably one of the best center-backs in the country.”
Arrows have conceded under 1.0 goal per game when both Jiyane and Mabaso start together in central defense, underpinning Dladla’s praise.
Arrows, who suffered a narrow league defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday—the club that poached their star attacker Siyanda Ndlovu during the off-season window—return to action on Sunday at 15:00, when they travel to face Siwelele FC at Free State Stadium.
