18 June 2019, by: Leonard Solms

BAFANA’S AFCON CLASS OF 1996: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

When Bafana Bafana lifted the AFCON trophy in 1996 after beating Tunisia in the final, they could have been forgiven for thinking it was the beginning of an era. Unfortunately for Bafana Bafana, they have not won the trophy since.

The 2019 tournament in Egypt presents another opportunity for South Africa to stun the continent. But what has become of the greats who downed the Carthage Eagles 2-0 at FNB Stadium? BET Central takes a look.

Bafana Bafana won the African Nations Cup exactly 22 yrs ago on this day February 3. Mark Williams came on for Phil Masinga with 25 mins to go & scored twice to win the title. It’s starting to feel as if it was all a dream & it never happened, given the state of Bafana these days pic.twitter.com/T7eEbFkIXs

— Mninawa Ntloko (@ntlokom) February 3, 2018

The man between the sticks on the day now serves as a goalkeeper coach for Bafana Bafana under current head coach Stuart Baxter. South Africa shot-stoppers Darren Keet, Ronwen Williams and Bruce Bvuma could not have asked for a better example to follow.

A disciple of Jomo Sono, Motaung enjoyed an illustrious career which saw him represent South Africa’s current “big three” of Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns. The defender even turned out for Spain’s Tenerife and Switzerland’s St. Gallen, but the candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long and Motaung’s life was tragically cut short due to illness at the age of 31 in 2001.

For all the Fish in the sea, there are few who can match what this one has achieved. The iconic defender has been roped in by Bafana Bafana as a player liaison and opposition analyst. He starred in England and Italy as a player as well as South Africa, but is not world-renowned for his Twitter game. We sincerely hope Fish knows the difference between Namibia and Morocco.

The only South African skipper to lift the Africa Cup of Nations has given back to football in the country by working as the South African Football Association’s technical director. President Cyril Ramaphosa last year awarded the former defender with the Order of Ikhamanga in Silver.

It’s an understatement to say the Kaizer Chiefs and Leeds United legend is sorely missed by his former clubs. Radebe lost his first wife, Feziwe Radebe, to cancer in 2008, but married Thobela Silver in 2015.  We must acknowledge his noble efforts to help equip former footballers for life off the pitch.

The Kaizer Chiefs legend’s last high-profile role in football was the technical director position at Baroka FC. The former midfield great is not by any means done with the sport, though, and only recently began working on the Nedbank Ke Yona Team search.

At the age of 48, it appears as if the former midfielder is on his way to becoming a highly successful coach — if you would not count him as one already. Tinkler coached Orlando Pirates, Cape Town City, SuperSport United and Chippa United before his current role at Maritzburg United, who he recently steered to survival in the Absa Premiership relegation dogfight.

Tough-tackling midfielder Buthelezi enjoyed an illustrious career and was another Bafana Bafana legend to play for the “big three” locally. Buthelezi gained a degree of international notoriety shortly after the Africa Cup of Nations for his tackle on England’s Paul Gascoigne. He has devoted time to development initiatives since his eventful playing career ended.

Stomach cancer claimed the life of Kaizer Chiefs legend Shoes Moshoeu in 2015 aged 49, but not before the attacking midfielder enjoyed remarkable success in South Africa and Turkey. He was one of the few South African players to really make his mark overseas and was coached by Franz Beckenbauer and Joachim Löw.

Iconic striker Shaun Bartlett made a name for himself with the likes of FC Zürich, Charlton Athletic and Kaizer Chiefs. However, his 28 goals for Bafana Bafana alone would be enough to qualify for legend status. Bartlett currently serves as an assistant to Kaizer Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp.

Philemon ‘Chippa’ Masinga passed away tragically after his battle with cancer in January 2019. The former Mamelodi Sundowns, Leeds United and Bari striker’s contribution to South African football will live long in the memory, though, and the best way to honour his legacy would be with more Africa Cup of Nations success this year.

It is with great sadness that the club has learnt of former striker Phil Masinga’s passing. The thoughts of everyone at #LUFC are with his family and friends pic.twitter.com/d0H0EO8idl — Leeds United (@LUFC) January 13, 2019

‘Midnight Express’ was another player who made a name for himself in Turkey having moving shortly after the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations. By then, he had already earned legend status at Orlando Pirates. Mkhalele is giving back to South African football in his role as South Africa U20 coach Thabo Senong’s assistant.

The substitute striker’s brace secured victory over Tunisia in the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations final. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers, Corinthians, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns striker moved into beach soccer after his career in the mainstream game, serving as a senior player and then coach of the South African national side.

Williams was then roped in by SuperSport United in 2013 to mentor their strikers on a short-term basis. He has also become well-known for his forthright television punditry on SuperSport.

When you look at Clive Barker’s coaching record, it is clear to see that he is a KwaZulu-Natal man through and through. Although he had stints in charge of the likes of Santos and Bidvest Wits, the 74-year-old’s CV includes stints with AmaZulu, Manning Rangers, Durban City and most recently Maritzburg United. Barker is not currently involved in the professional game.

BET: AFCON 2019