Daine Klate has at long last been rewarded for years of top form at club level for Wits after he was called up to the Bafana Bafana squad on Thursday for the upcoming 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifier against Senegal.
The 31-year-old Klate, who has 12 international caps to his name, last featured for the national team in September 2014 against Botswana, also in a World Cup qualifier.
The Port Elizabeth-born midfielder has won 12 titles in domestic football during a glittering career, and is one of the finest left-sided players ever produced in South Africa. Yet that hasn’t translated into Bafana Bafana caps, but coach Shakes Mashaba has eventually seen the light and brought in Klate for the crucial clash at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane next month.
Belgium-based midfield general Andile Jali is also back in the 25-man squad after missing last month’s opening qualifier against Burkina Faso due to injury, and his presence will add significant weight to the Bafana make-up.
Mamelodi Sundowns’ star defender Asavela Mbekile, who played a huge role in Masandawana’s Caf Champions League triumph in Egypt at the weekend, also earns a return after only featuring in the 2014 Chan tournament previously, while Ajax Cape Town’s Rivaldo Coetzee has recovered from injury.
Mashaba bolstered the defence further by bringing in SuperSport United’s Clayton Daniels, while Ronwen Williams is the third goalkeeper behind Itumeleng Khune and Brighton Mhlongo.
But following the 1-1 draw in Ouagadougou, Mashaba knows that Bafana have to go all out to get a result next month, and he has selected a number of interesting options in the quest to score goals.
A brand-new name is Lars Veldrijk, from Jali’s Belgian club KV Kortrijk. A 25-year-old striker, Dutch-born Veldrijk’s father was born in South Africa and he has previously expressed a desire to play for Bafana.
He is a Dutch citizen, but has presumably attained the necessary documents to play for South Africa. At 1.96m tall, Veldrijk appears to be ideally suited to being a target man like Rodgers, but he has a goal-scoring pedigree, having first made his name at Excelsior in The Netherlands in the 2013/14 season, and having also played for Nottingham Forest and PEC Zwolle.
Bradley Grobler and Thuso Phala will provide further options in the final-third for Bafana, while Rodgers should be the favourite to start against Senegal.
Bafana Bafana Squad
Goalkeepers: Itumeleng Khune, Brighton Mhlongo, Ronwen Williams.
Defenders: Ramahlwe Mphahlele, Rivaldo Coetzee, Thulani Hlatshwayo, Clayton Daniels, Asavela Mbekile, Tebogo Langerman, Eric Mathoho, Thabo Matlaba.
Midfielders: Dean Furman, Andile Jali, May Mahlangu, Ayanda Patosi, Keagan Dolly, Daine Klate, Mpho Makola, Hlompho Kekana.
Strikers: Eleazar Rodgers, Bradley Grobler, Lars Veldwijk, Sibusiso Vilakazi, Thulani Serero, Thuso Phala.
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