AFCON-winning captain explains why Bafana have waited for 29 years

As Bafana Bafana prepare for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, questions remain on whether they can go all the way and win the title.

South Africa have not won Africa’s biggest football prize since 1996, when they claimed their only title, and 29 years later, the wait goes on.

Bafana Bafana had disappointed in the editions after their 1996 win with poor performances, including two group stage exits, while they hit an all-time low by failing to qualify twice.

What made the difference in 1996?

However, they head to the 2025 edition as one of the dark horses due to the fact that they finished third in 2023 against all expectations while they have shown improvements since that tournament.

That has led to questions on where were these kinds of performances before and can South Africa finally seal continental glory during the 2025 tournament in Morocco?  

“When that (1996) side needed to dig deep, we were very intense in our thought and our process,” Neil Tovey, who was Bafana’s captain when they won the title in 1996, told Flashscore.

“Since then, there have been some very good teams with some very good players. But I think, mentally, we were all like captains on the field.”

Tovey doubts Bafana’s mentality

Tovey maintains that talent alone is not enough and feels the past teams failed because they lacked leaders on the pitch as well as a winning mentality, overly relying on the technical bench for solutions.

“We all knew our responsibilities and we didn’t have to look to the (coach on the) bench,” he added.

“When things went a little awry on the pitch, we could take care of it and identify problems a lot quicker than teams can now. There hasn’t been that leadership on the field in the subsequent teams, to be honest. It’s as simple as that.”