South Africa’s quarterfinal opponents in the COSAFA Castle Cup‚ Lesotho‚ will provide a mighty challenge for Shakes Mashaba’s young team having stormed through the tournament group stages. South Africa take on Lesotho at the Sam Nujoma Stadium in Windhoek on Saturday with either Zambia or Swaziland waiting for them in the semifinals.Lesotho won all three of their group games against Mauritius‚ Angola and Malawi‚ scoring six goals and conceding none in the process. The side is made up of a number of players who competed for the country at the 2011 African Youth Championships with the likes of Basia Makepe‚ Tsepo Seturumane and Jeremea Kamela impressing in this tournament.But it is the younger brigade that have shone even brighter.Winger Tumelo Khutlang‚ 20‚ looks a real star of the future‚ as does fellow wide man Jane Thaba-Ntso‚ 20‚ whose goal after 34 seconds in the 3-0 win over Mauritius in the country’s opener was the quickest in COSAFA Castle Cup history.Super-sub Sera Motebang‚ 21‚ has come off the bench to great effect‚ while central midfielder Hlompo Kalaka‚ 21‚ will be another dangerman for Mashaba to consider. The side has been lead by the country’s former Under-20 coach Moses Maliehe‚ who has developed much of this team from the junior national ranks and knows them exceptionally well.He is someone that Mashaba is very familiar with too having played for the South African coach at Vaal Reef Stars in the early 1990s."I remember him well!" Mashaba tells Times Media Digital."We had a team then playing in the NPSL‚ in the second division‚ called Vaal Reef Stars. I took them from there and got them promoted to the elite league.“He [Maliehe] was a very good left-back‚ a very strong player and always very knowledgeable about the game.”Lesotho were finalists of the COSAFA Castle Cup in 2000 when former Bloemfontein Celtic and Orlando Pirates defender Lehlohonolo Seema was emerging as a star for them.They lost the two-legged final 6-0 on aggregate to Zimbabwe and also reached the semifinals in 2013 but were beaten into fourth place by South Africa.That was their only meeting in the COSAFA Castle Cup‚ while in all internationals the teams have clashed on seven previous occasions‚ with South Africa winning six and the other game drawn. - TMG Digital..