Owen da Gama joins long list of individuals to take temporary charge of Bafana

Caretaker coach Owen da Gama is the latest in a long list of individuals to take temporary charge of the senior men's national team in what has been a tumultuous past 25 years for Bafana Bafana coaches.

Da Gama is the 19th different coach to lead the side since 1992‚ though he will not be taking charge of his first game when the country takes on Guinea-Bissau and Angola in friendlies on Saturday and Tuesday respectively.

He was first thrust into the caretaker role last November when then coach Shakes Mashaba did not travel with the squad to Maputo for a friendly international against Mozambique that finished 1-1.

Mashaba was asked to step aside following a tempestuous outburst at the end of the 2-1 FIFA World Cup qualifier victory over Senegal that ultimately led to his sacking.

In all‚ Da Gama is the ninth individual to have led the team in a caretaker capacity since readmission to international football‚ a list that also includes his current assistant Thabo Senong.

• 'There’s no A and B team in Bafana Bafana,' says interim coach Da GamaOwen da Gama has said that he will field a strong starting line-up in Bafana Bafana’s matches against Guinea-Bissau and Angola‚ but will also be adventurous in giving a run to new caps and youngsters‚ including SA Under-20 international Luther Singh. 

Senong was in charge for an African Nations Championship qualifier against Angola in October 2015 that was lost 2-0‚ with the full Bafana squad still making their way back from a friendly tour of Costa Rica and Honduras.

Mashaba himself had two spells as a caretaker‚ first in October 1992 after the axing of Stanley ‘Screamer’ Tshabalala‚ and then again in April 2001 when incumbent coach Carlos Queiroz took an ‘A’ squad to Italy for a friendly‚ leaving Mashaba to travel to Mozambique with a ‘B’ team for a COSAFA Castle Cup clash that he won 3-0.

Jomo Sono also had two spells as caretaker boss‚ first taking the team to the 2002 FIFA World Cup after the sudden axing of Queiroz following the Nations Cup earlier that year.

• Khune licking his lips at the prospect of unleashing speedy Tau and ManyamaItumeleng Khune is licking his lips at the prospect of utilising his renowned distribution skills to release new players with pace and mobility such as Percy Tau and Lebogang Manyama when Bafana Bafana meet Guinea-Bissau on Saturday. 

He also led Bafana against England in May 2003 when the combustible Mashaba refused to select overseas-based players for the high-profile friendly and was temporarily moved aside by SAFA.

Trott Moloto had previously spent two years in charge of the team between 1998 and 2000‚ and then returned for a once-off fixture in April 2002 against Ecuador as head coach after Sono headed to Northern Ireland to watch future World Cup opponents Spain take on the hosts in a friendly.

Kenneth ‘Conti’ Kubheka also had just a single game in charge when he led the team to a 1-0 defeat to Zimbabwe in the COSAFA Castle Cup clash in July 2003 after SAFA ‘rested’ incumbent Mashaba for the assignment.

The late Styles Phumo then took charge of the side for the 2004 Nations Cup finals in Tunisia after Mashaba was axed by SAFA having again incensed his bosses over ignoring overseas-based players for the squad for the continental showpiece.

• Big trouble for Bafana if Mokotjo is declared ineligible after playing for SAThe South African Football Association (Safa) could face a monetary fine and Bafana Bafana can be stripped of the result should Kamohelo Mokotjo be fielded in the upcoming friendlies and the player is proved to be ineligible. 

The side failed to make the quarterfinals and Phumo soon gave way to Stuart Baxter.

When the late Ted Dumitru was fired after a disastrous 2006 Nations Cup campaign‚ Pitso Mosimane was handed the reins on a caretaker basis while SAFA went through the process of appointing the Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira to the post.

And when Mosimane was axed in June 2012 having spent almost two years at the helm in a full-time capacity‚ Steve Komphela was placed in charge for a World Cup qualifier against Botswana (1-1) and friendly match with Gabon (3-0).

- TMG Digital/TMG Sport