Big CAF award nomination for Orlando Pirates star

What a find for Orlando Pirates. Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s short has quickly resulted in a CAF Young Player of the Year award nomination.

The recognition comes after the 20-year-old captained South Africa’s U20 side to the COSAFA Championship title, played a key role as the Buccaneers finished second in the Betway Premiership.

Also read: What Pirates coach Ouaddou wants from his players

Mbokazi was also in Orlando Pirates' heart of defence as they sailed to the CAF Champions League semi-finals, where they fell to Pyramids FC in Cairo.

In June, he made his Bafana Bafana debut and won the Man of the Match award against Nigeria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.