Bafana Bafana legend Doctor Khumalo has heaped praise on Orlando Pirates striker Yanela Mbuthuma for constantly troubling defenders.
Mbuthuma, 24, is one of the 11 forwards selected by Mosimane to face Guinea and Eritrea in the qualifiers and also the international friendly against Egypt next month. This is only his second time with the senior national team, his debut coming in June 2025.
The former Richards Bay man has recently found his scoring boots across three competitions the Betway Premiership, the MTN8 where his side reached the final and also the CAF Champions League.
However, he has endured torment from his club fan base when he was going through a goal drought, but Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou kept faith in him. Khumalo says if Mbuthuma’s job was easy anyone could do it.
“I would say to you, if it was easy all of us here in South Africa, we would be millionaires,” said Khumalo on The DNA Podcast.
“But unfortunately, you have to dig deep and go out and work for it, and that’s what this boy did. That’s all I can say. If it was easy, we’d all be millionaires. Have you ever seen this boy quarrelling or shouting or doing anything? He’s doing it quietly. Whether good or bad, he’s doing it quietly. He wakes up tomorrow and tries and fixes the mistake or try to make it better. That’s his secret.
“I once said it that you will never find a striker like that who troubles defenders when they [his side] are out of possession. Look at how he harasses the opponents when they have the ball. And then let’s take the transition now in terms of his intelligence. Are you aware that in one game, he gave two assists. And then look at the assists he gave, and mind you, he’s a striker. That is a skill for defenders, but that game, those passes…Clearly, the boy slowly but surely is growing within the game.”
The former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder went on to liken Mbuthuma to former strikers Mandla Sithole and Kingston Nkatha.
“I used to watch an Orlando Pirates striker called Metroblitz Sithole, that’s Mbuthuma,” added 16V.
“Metroblitz would harass you, you’ll sleep tired as defenders because of one striker. I was there when Kingston was signed. I said yes. He can run off the ball. He can be a transitional player.
“He himself he can be the first defender, and then he’s always at the right time at the right place to finish. That’s it.”