Zimbabwe Without Former Chiefs Defender

There is good news for Bafana Bafana, as Zimbabwe will be without former Kaizer Chiefs defender Teenage Hadebe ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Group B match in Marrakech on Monday.

Hadebe was forced off in the 37th minute during Zimbabwe’s 1-1 draw to Angola on Friday and was replaced by Brendan Galloway. He has since been ruled out through injury ahead of the clash, a development that will come as a major boost for South Africa.

Going into the match, South Africa sit second in Group B with three points from two matches, having beaten Angola 1-0 before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Egypt on Friday. Zimbabwe are bottom of the group.

Meanwhile, Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says his side find themselves in a similar position to where they were two years ago heading into their final Group B match at the Africa Cup of Nations—also against The Warriors.

At the Ivory Coast AFCON, Bafana collected three points from their first two matches, following a 2-0 loss to Mali and a 4-0 win over Namibia. They then secured qualification for the knockout stages with a goalless draw against Tunisia.

This time around, Bafana Bafana again have three points—after defeating Angola in their opening group match last Monday, before losing 1-0 in controversial circumstances against Egypt in their second fixture on Friday.

Bafana now turn their attention to Zimbabwe in the final group match in Marrakech on Monday, with the equation clear: avoid defeat to secure a place in the knockout stages.

“We are in a similar situation to the one we were in in Ivory Coast, where we could not afford to lose the last game,” said Broos, who guided Bafana Bafana to a bronze medal two years ago.
“If we don’t lose tomorrow [Monday], we are in the next round, and that is the most important thing for us.”

Broos expects a tough contest, despite Zimbabwe’s position in the group.

“They will also want to win against us, and we know that from our previous matches. It will be tough tomorrow, and we will have to be at our best to get a good result.”

The two sides will meet for the second time in three months, having faced each other in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at Moses Mabhida Stadium in October. On that occasion, Bafana Bafana, needing a win to strengthen their qualification hopes, were held to a frustrating goalless draw.

This time, South Africa will be determined to ensure a different outcome.

Notably, this will be the first-ever meeting between South Africa and Zimbabwe at the AFCON finals, despite the teams having met several times in other qualifiers and regional competitions such as the COSAFA Cup.