Marumo Gallants has welcomed a wave of new players for evaluation, including experienced defenders Buhle Mkwanazi and Matome Mathiane. They join Siyabonga Nhlapo in being evaluated by the club.

Sekela Sithole is also under consideration by Gallants, according to Sportswire, as the club returns to the Betway Premiership this season after acquiring Moroka Swallows.

Mkhwanazi has been without a club since leaving SuperSport United at the end of the 2021/22 season, and his match fitness is a concern.

The 34-year-old refused to play for SuperSport after players were informed to get vaccinated for COVID-19. His refusal led to his departure from the club.

He joined SuperSport after Bidvest Wits’ status was sold at the end of the 2019/20 season, forming Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila, ending Wits’ 99-year existence in the PSL.

Mkhwanazi made his name under Gavin Hunt at Wits, where he partnered with Thulani Hlatshwayo to lead the Clever Boys to the MTN8 and the league title in the 2016/17 season.

In the following season, Wits won the Carling Knockout, with Mkhwanazi playing a pivotal role in the defense.

He started all five matches for Bafana Bafana in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Egypt, where they upset the host nation before losing to Nigeria in the quarterfinals.

Mathiane was the captain of Baroka last season in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, narrowly missing out on promotion through the PSL playoffs to Richards Bay.

The 35-year-old spent 10 years with Durban-based Golden Arrows, helping them gain Betway Premiership promotion under Shaun Bartlett in the 2014/15 season.

He then joined Chippa United ahead of the 2022/23 season but spent only one season in the Eastern Cape before joining Baroka.

Sithole, 27, has played for Baroka for the past three seasons and has experience in the Motsepe Foundation Championship. He has also had spells with Ubuntu Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Mbombela United, Steenberg United, Free State Stars, and Cape United.

Like Mathiane, he was part of the Arrows team that gained Betway Premiership promotion in the 2014/15 season.

These players will aim to impress Gallants coach Dan Malesela, who was appointed as the head coach ahead of this season.

The club has the luxury of assessing these players due to the extended preseason, with the league set to start on 14 September.

Gallants will kick off the 2024/25 season by hosting Kaizer Chiefs at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein on the same day (17:30).