Against the backdrop of injuries, unavailability of star players, and a threadbare squad, South Africa’s U20 national team — Amajita — have booked their place at the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile. Velile Mnyandu has more from Egypt.
Heroic Amajita Set Sights on Morocco in U20 AFCON Final
For coach Raymond Mdaka and his young charges, this is more than just qualification — it’s vindication. Reaching the U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, for the first time in 28 years, is not a small feat.
It’s approximately 14 months since this project started in March 2024, with a squad of over 40 players called up into a preliminary camp in Johannesburg. This camp had some of the best football talent at this level, South Africa has ever seen. Siyabonga Mabena, Shandre Campbell, Asekho Tiwani, Luphumlo “Kaka” Sifumba, Mfundo Vilakazi, were just some of the popularly known players at the time.
A trip to Lesotho followed this later in July (2024), and then the COSAFA tournament in Mozambique, where the team was crowned as champions without losing a single game. This was a result which qualified Mdaka’s team for the U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Egypt and created new stars in the process, the likes of Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Jody Ah-Shene, Shakeel April, Fletcher Lowe, Lazola Maku and many more.
Coming to the final tournament in Egypt, from the outset, everything seemed stacked against Amajita and Mdaka. Key players like Mbokazi (Orlando Pirates) and Campbell (Club Brugge) were not released by their clubs, as the tournament fell outside the international calendar. Mabena was out on a long-term injury, and captain Tiwani suffered a bad injury in the opening 1-0 loss to hosts Egypt and had to return home, leaving the team thin at the back and with no balance at the back.
But somehow, through tactical clarity and unshakable resilience, Amajita fought their way through, in a tough Group A, which saw them clawing their way back to finishing top of the group, with back to back wins against Tanzania (1-0) and Sierra Leone (4-1) and wrapping up with a draw against their COSAFA rivals Zambia (1-1). Grinding results in the past to matches, in physically challenging matches against DRC (1-0) and Nigeria (1-0), just shows how far this team has matured at international level.
What makes this qualification even more remarkable is that it wasn’t powered by household names or established stars. It was driven by belief, system, and smart development. Mdaka, throughout the tournament, had constantly spoken of the challenges of playing with a thin squad.
And that’s where the bigger story lies — in the structure beneath the surface.
The Unsung Role of the DDC
The credit should also be shared with the DStv Diski Challenge (DDC), which continues to prove its value as more than just a youth league. The DDC has become the launchpad for raw, local talent to transition into professional and international football. It broadened the talent pool when Amajita needed it most. It might not be as competitive as the National First Division (NFD), Premier Division or even the third-tier ABC Motsepe League, but it has helped to broaden the talent for junior national teams, particularly the U17s and U20s.
Players like Thabang Mahlangu, Lazola Maku (SuperSport United), Ah-Sheene, April (Cape Town City), Tylon Smith, Faiez Abrahams are just some of the talent that’s been making full use of the DDC platform to prepare for the global stage. You then add, top young talent like Vilakazi, Kultwano Lethlakhu (Mamelodi Sundowns), Langelihle Phili (Stellenbosch FC), Siviwe Nkwali (Cape Town Spurs)…players with top-flight experience at clubs competing in CAF inter-club competitions.
On the sidelines of this tournament, former South African Football Association (SAFA) Technical Director Walter Steenbok has been consistent in praising the DDC’s pipeline, that without its assistance, Mdaka wouldn’t have had the flexibility to respond to the squad disruptions.
Steenbok’s Blueprint: A Philosophy in Action
But there’s another force behind this success — less visible, but just as powerful. And it’s received some rave reviews in this tourmaent from football experts, in the form, of the CAF Technical Study Group, including Nigerian football legend and foirmer assistant coach Daniel “The Bull” Amokachi and international scouts. Steenbok, who reisgned from SAFA in March, deserves immense credit for implementing a national playing philosophy that is finally bearing fruit.
During his time in charge, Steenbok didn’t just talk development — he built its foundation. He introduced a unified football identity for South African youth teams, focused on possession-based play, tactical intelligence, and adaptable formations. His methodology became the blueprint for national teams, coaching education, and talent scouting.
What we’re now seeing under Mdaka is that philosophy coming to life. In a similar way, a few weeks before, when Vela Khumalo’s Amajimbos team also qualified for the FIFA U17 World Cup, to be held in Qatar in November 2025.
More Than Just a Ticket
This qualification is more than just entry into a World Cup. It’s a success story for South African football development. It’s proof that when vision, structure, and opportunity meet, talent will rise.
Amajita’s journey to Chile is a triumph of systems over circumstances. It’s a reward for believing in youth, in development, and in a national identity that respects both our flair and our discipline.
However, as the team heads to the final on Sunday against Morocco, interestingly, a team we last played in the 1997 final and lost 1-0 to in the final, minus a suspended yet tournament top goal scorer Benni Mcarthy, we should take time to reflect on the gains that we have had and that out us at this level. This is a formula, which we cannot afford to lose, and to ensure that these successes are not accidental, our junior national teams, deserve maximum support, and not these challenges the technical team has been complaining about here regularly.
