Skipper aims for silverware

Thulani Hlatshwayo is aiming high as Bafana Bafana captain and will only be truly happy if he retires from international football with a major trophy in the cabinet.

Hlatshwayo, now 29, has been with Bafana at two Africa Cup of Nations finals, in Equatorial Guinea in 2015 and in Egypt in 2019. South Africa failed to make it past the group stages in 2015, and in 2019, while they recorded a famous win over Egypt in the last 16, lost to Nigeria in the quarterfinals.

This week, Bafana begin their campaign to qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, taking on Ghana away from home tomorrow, before a game against Sudan at Orlando Stadium on Sunday.

“It is really important,” said Hlatshwayo.

“We did well against Mali (last month in the Nelson Mandela

Challenge) and in Egypt (in the Afcon), but for us we have to make sure we get a trophy. When I look back I can say that I played in Equatorial Guinea in an Afcon and in Egypt, in an Afcon, but what have I achieved. It has to be the norm for us to qualify, we have to win something.”

Ghana are likely to provide Bafana with their toughest test in Group C, especially at the Cape Coast Stadium, with Bafana having endured a long flight to Accra on Monday, followed by a twohour bus ride to where the game will be played.

South Africa did play Ghana this year in Abu Dhabi, in their only warm-up match ahead of the 2019 Afcon, in a game that ended goalless.

“Both teams were preparing for the Afcon, they changed a lot of players, like Andre Ayew and Asamoah Gyan didn’t play the whole game,” said Hlatshwayo.

“It is a different ball game, we know every team wants to start the qualifiers well.