Keletso Makgalwa’s Comeback Earns Him First Bafana Bafana Call-Up

Keletso Makgalwa is edging closer to fulfilling a prophecy and realising a dream after overcoming challenges that once hindered his progress.

Makgalwa earned his maiden Bafana Bafana call-up for their AFCON preparation match against Zambia at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday night (6pm kick-off).

Rising From Setbacks

And that has been a long time coming. When Makgalwa made his professional debut at Mamelodi Sundowns, then-coach Pitso Mosimane declared that he would become “one of the next superstars in the PSL”.

However, Makgalwa struggled to live up to that projection at the outset. After battling for game time at Sundowns, he was loaned out to Maritzburg United, Moroka Swallows, TS Galaxy, and All Stars.

In 2023, he requested that the Brazilians terminate his contract. After some time in the wilderness, he landed at then-ABC Motsepe League side Upington City, where he found a home and revived his career to the extent that he was signed by top-flight side Sekhukhune United last season.

Breakthrough Season at Sekhukhune

At Babina Noko, he didn’t rest on his laurels either. He made a total of 17 goal contributions - six goals and 11 assists - in 32 matches across all competitions, a feat that earned him nominations for the PSL Footballer of the Season and the Players’ Player of the Season awards.

After continuing his fine form this season, registering six assists in 15 matches in all competitions, Makgalwa is slowly living up to Mosimane’s prophecy.

“I’ve been working very hard, working towards fulfilling the promise Coach Mosimane saw in me,” he said.

“It was not easy, to be honest. Playing for such a big team as Sundowns, it was difficult to break into the first team, but Coach Pitso helped me so much to get to where I was at that time. And now I think I am getting closer to that.”

Bafana Call-Up

Makgalwa’s exploits have also caught the attention of Bafana coach Hugo Broos, and it will be a full-circle moment for him to don the senior national team jersey after featuring for the youth national teams.

“I really started well as a young boy from the Sundowns academy. I played at the Under-20 World Cup, I played in the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations for the team that qualified for the Olympics,” he reflected.

“It was a wonderful journey, but then I struggled with injuries, especially after winning the treble with coach Pitso. There were many setbacks after that, hence I went to seek game time elsewhere.

“I went to Upington because I wanted to start afresh, and I told myself: ‘One day I want to be at Bafana Bafana and come back very strong.’”

Challenges and Mindset Shift

While Makgalwa could board the plane to Morocco for the AFCON finals in December if he impresses against Zambia and over the next few weeks at Babina Noko, he concedes that he didn’t have the ideal start to the season.

“I did not start the season very well, unlike last season when I had the best season of my career,” he said.

“So I had to change my mentality here and there because the team was planning around me. I had to adjust with the help of coach Eric [Tinkler], and now I am performing well.”

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