‘If you touch Helman, you touch me’: Bafana coach Broos pays tribute to his assistant

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has paid a glowing tribute to his assistant Helman Mkhalele, describing him as a fantastic, disciplined, honest and loyal man who knows his football. 

They started working together when the Belgian mentor became South Africa coach in 2021 and Broos said the former Bafana midfielder and 1996 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) winner has left a lasting impression on him.

Broos said the soft-spoken Mkhalele has good qualities as a human being. 

Speaking on Thursday when he announced the 23-man squad for next month’s Group K 2025 Afcon qualifiers against Uganda at Orlando Stadium on September 6 and South Sudan four days later, Broos said Mkhalele helped him to understand the local game. 

“When you compare Helman now and when I saw him for the first time, there is a big difference,” remarked Broos with a smile. 

“He was afraid to talk, he was a little bit shy because I was in front of him all the time and at that moment he was not ready because I had my Belgian assistant Cedomir Janesvki. 

“For the first year he was a little bit in a shadow, but the advice he gave me, especially about South African football and South African players, made me to decide when Janesvki left to make him my assistant.

“I didn’t hesitate, not even one second, to make him my assistant because I was sure he was the right man at the right place and he has done well in the role.”

As time went on, Mkhalele started to be comfortable around Broos and their relationship has grown in leaps and bounds and their highest point was when they led Bafana Bafana to the third spot finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast.

“Since then, he is more open and he is not afraid to express his opinions about things, and that is what I want,” he said. He added that Mkhalele has vast knowledge of the game having played at the highest level in South Africa and Turkey.

“The most important thing about him is that he knows football and when he talks about tactics you are sitting or standing in front of a guy who knows what he is talking about. When he talks about the players, we are almost always on the same level of agreement. 

“There is never a discussion, but it is more about giving an opinion on a matter and nine out of ten times we agree on issues.” 

Broos said Mkhalele is a reliable human being.

“He is a fantastic guy and he knows that he has to be grateful for the opportunities that he is getting. He is a guy who is disciplined, honest, loyal and I can go on for 10 minutes talking about his good qualities. 

“If you touch Helman, you touch me. One day when I leave South Africa, it will remain a friendship for life and I am sure of that.”