Former Orlando Pirates captain Thulani Hlatshwayo is adamant that having experienced heads like Percy Tau in Bafana Bafana is a plus to the team.
The 30-year-old has been under pressure to deliver for the national team after what his critics feel are below-par performances in the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin, respectively.
The assistant captain made a return to Hugo Broos's squad after being overlooked, initially, owing to game-time struggles at his former club, Al Ahly of Egypt. However, since his move to Qatar SC in the Qatar Stars League, things have changed for the versatile attacker.
Hlatshwayo has now made his voice heard regarding the involvement of experienced players, including Tau, in the Bafana Bafana fold.
‘It is very important for the younger players'
“There’s a lot of togetherness, the spirit around the team, some say its because there’s a lot of Sundowns players, who have played in Champions League in the starting line-up, has helped our national team,” he told the media.
“It’s very important to keep experienced players around the team, look at Ronwen, the caps he has now, you would think he should be over 60 already, and having Percy Tau there? Yes, there will be a loss of form, but he’s been there, he’s done it, and he’s played in African football.
“Having [Percy] there is crucial to have… a lot of players are now starting to approach the 50-cap club, and it’s very important for the [younger] players to be playing with these players, even when we had Khune, myself, Jali, these senior ones were the [youngsters] coming into the team, it’s not surprise to see them approaching 50 caps, having them is very crucial [for the squad],” Hlatshwayo concluded.
