Helman Mkhalele ‘has played a big role’ in Bafana’s success: Linda Buthelezi

Bafana Bafana assistant coach and former player Helman Mkhalele has been praised by former teammate Linda “Mercedes-Benz” Buthelezi for playing a crucial role in South Africa’s impressive run at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Ivory Coast.    

Mkhalele, 54, a dazzling winger who came mostly off the bench in Bafana's Nations Cup-winning side in 1996, is the assistant to 71-year-old head coach Hugo Broos.    

The Belgian, who led a young Cameroon side to the 2017 Afcon title, has shown his magic touch again, steering world 66th and African 12th-ranked Bafana to the semifinals in Ivory Coast, where they meet Nigeria in Wednesday's clash at Stade de la Paix in Bouaké (7pm, SA time).      

Bafana have claimed big scalps in Ivory Coast, including knocking out Tunisia in the group stages, Morocco in the last 16 and on-form Cape Verde in the quarterfinals.

Buthelezi, Mkhalele's Nations Cup-winning teammate in the 1990s Bafana side, told TimesLIVE he believes Mkhalele has done well in making sure Broos is able to lead the national team without outside interference, which has been a problem for years.

Buthelezi has also praised Broos, admitting he has come round to the Belgian's qualities after being unhappy about his appointment in May 2021.  

Buthelezi believes appointing Mkhalele as Broos’ No 2 was a masterstroke by the South African Football Association (Safa).    

As a player, Mkhalele had much trophy success and gained experience on the continent. Apart from winning Afcon, he was a silver medallist in 1998, was a crucial player in the national team at the 1998 World Cup and won the 1995 Caf Champions Cup with Orlando Pirates in 1995.

Buthelezi believes the Bafana Bafana legend commands much respect and serves as an inspiration to the present generation.    

“I was impressed when Safa gave Helman the job as assistant. Here we are playing in an Afcon semifinal, and Helman has played a big role with these players and for the coach” the former midfield bone-cruncher said.

“Broos is a foreigner and Helman helped Broos get a better understanding of our system, while allowing Broos to do things his own way.    

“I’ve seen them at [league] games on the lookout for players and you can’t tell me Helman doesn’t make a contribution.”    

Buthelezi said Bafana coaches have struggled with or been susceptible to the influence of agents on national team selections with the aim of marketing their players.    

He believes that has not been an issue under Broos and suggested Mkhalele might have made the coach aware of this.    

“That man [Mkhalele] has played a significant role for the national team to be where it is today. He has been able to strike a good working relationship with Broos, something not many former South African assistant coaches have been able to do in the past.

“Helman knows a lot about winning African tournaments because he was part of the Pirates team that won the 1995 Champions League and also the Afcon with Bafana in 1996.    

“When Helman speaks to the players or the coach he brings in that mindset that helped to win the Afcon then.

“He made sure we dump the 'bra-skap' [brotherhood] thing in the national team. You must remember how agents used to influence which players should be selected to Bafana. I don’t think that’s still an issue under Broos     

“The agents tried that even with [1996 coach] Clive Barker, but he also had a way of dealing with it.    

“I believe Helman told Broos, ‘We are going to be troubled by agents’, and I think the coach listens to Helman. I don’t think there’s anyone who can tell Broos what to do, he only speaks to Helman.”

Buthelezi said he was among those who believed a South African with reputable experience should take over after the sacking of Molefi Ntseki in 2021, rather than Broos.  

“When Broos arrived in South Africa , some of us didn’t know much about him and others first saw him when he coached Cameroon, but we didn’t know what kind of person he is.    

“To be honest, when he got here I don’t think he received a warm welcome from a lot of South Africans and I was one of the people who weren’t pleased about his appointment.    

“That’s because we already had someone in our minds who we believed should be made the national team coach.

“But I have since changed my mind about him. There are games I’ve watched and I got an idea of what he was trying to do with the national team.”