New Bafana Bafana head coach Molefi Ntseki will make his debut with the national team when they host Mali in the 25th annual Nelson Mandela Challenge in Port Elizabeth next month.
The match will be played at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium at 3 pm on Sunday 13 October with all proceeds going to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.
Ntseki would have made his national coaching debut earlier, only to see the friendlies against Zambia and Madagascar cancelled in the wake of a series of Xenophobic attacks which rocked the country.
Speaking at a media briefing at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Wednesday, Ntseki said he was going into the match against Mali with 98% of the squad that would have played against Zambia - the only new faces being midfielder Themba Zwane and defender Mosa Lebusa in place of Rivaldo Coetzee and Lebohang Maboe – all from Mamelodi Sundowns.
The fixture is important preparation for Bafana ahead of back-to-back 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Ghana and Sudan.
SAFA President and Nelson Mandela Bay local, Dr Danny Jordaan, said he was delighted to see Bafana returning to Port Elizabeth and the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium after an 8 year absence.
Tickets for the match go on sale at Computicket outlets on Friday.
