It's time for Maswanganyi to stake his claim at Bafana Bafana

Patrick Maswanganyi cannot complain he hasn’t had enough time to show Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos what he’s capable of at international level.

The reigning PSL player’s player and midfielder of the season is, however, yet to convince Broos he’s ready to be a starter for Bafana ahead of Themba Zwane of Mamelodi Sundowns, a player far advanced in age and decoration — and the man Broos trusts as Bafana’s playmaker.

But with Zwane ruled out by an injury he sustained in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Congo in Brazzaville last month, Broos has identified the Orlando Pirates midfielder as Zwane’s successor, and introduced him when the latter limped off in the 1-1 draw against the Congolese.

The 50-plus minutes Maswanganyi played was only his second Bafana cap. He was an unused substitute five times after making his debut in a friendly against Andorra in March.

There were hopes Maswanganyi would become a regular feature following a stellar 2023-2024 season with Pirates — the campaign in which he won three awards in total.

There is, however, no better opportunity for “Tito” to stake his claim than in Bafana’s next two 2025 Afcon qualifiers against Uganda and South Sudan this month.  

By the sound of it, Broos would prefer to start with Maswanganyi in the final qualifier against South Sudan on November 19 in Cape Town, instead of throwing the 26-year-old into the deep end on Friday at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Kampala, where Bafana need to beat Uganda to be certain of their qualification. “I don’t think Patrick has had a good opportunity in Bafana,” said Broos.

“It was not so easy for him to come in in the game against Congo because we suffered in that game. It’s not easy for a player who plays his first minutes to immediately have an important role. For him, it’s about adapting to the way we play and what I’m asking from him in that position.

“We will see in the next games, we will evaluate. But I still believe he has the potential to replace Themba. He hasn’t shown it so far in Bafana, but we’ll see. Let’s have a bit of patience, maybe in a few months we’ll have to say no or maybe yes. We’ll see.”

While there was no doubt about who was the South African midfielder on top of his game last season, Maswanganyi’s performance for Pirates this season has not been consistent, scoring just once and providing no assists in the 15 matches he’s played for the high-flying Buccaneers in all competitions.

But with the grass pitch in Kampala giving Broos hope his ball-playing team can control the match, Maswanganyi’s skills will be vital. And with Broos having recalled striker Evidence Makgopa to fight for a starting position alongside Iqraam Rayners, there could be goals for Bafana in Kampala.

It all depends on how Teboho Mokoena and Bathusi Aubaas — who are likely to start in central midfield — combine with Maswanganyi and Oswin Appollis in creating chances.

Uganda, whose last [and seventh] appearances at Afcon was in 2019, have had a brilliant qualifying campaign so far, with two of their three victories coming in Kampala against Congo (2-0) and South Sudan (1-0). Bafana were lucky to be rescued at the last minute by substitute Thalente Mbatha to play a 2-2 draw against the Cranes in Orlando Stadium in the opening round of these qualifiers.

Under the Belgian coach Paul Put, 68, the Cranes have been strong upfront, scoring seven times, while keeping it tight in defence, where they’ve let in three goals to sit on top of the group with 10 points, and needing just one point in two matches to confirm their place in next year’s Afcon in Morocco.

The only time Bafana faced Uganda in Kampala was in October 2004 in a 2006 World Cup qualifier in which Benni McCarthy scored a penalty in the 68th minute to give Bafana a 1-0 victory.