Olwethu Makhanya has never been shy about a tackle. Now he’s gone in just as firmly on his recent past with Bafana Bafana.
The Rangers defender, widely regarded as one of South Africa’s brightest defensive prospects, spent much of Hugo Broos’ tenure watching from the fringes. Even at the FIFA World Cup in June, when his form and reputation suggested he could anchor the back line, he was left to cool on the bench.
A new coach has changed the mood.
A fresh start under Pitso
With Pitso Mosimane now at the helm, Makhanya sees a reset – and he doesn’t hide how alienated he felt under the Belgian.
"I saw the coaching change as an opportunity for a fresh start in the national team because I always felt like I was overlooked by the previous coach," he told SABC Sport.
That sense of being sidelined never really left during Broos’ time. While Makhanya built his name abroad and then at Rangers, his international minutes never matched his club trajectory.
Broos, MLS and a point of principle
One of the defining debates around Broos’ reign was his open criticism of Major League Soccer, the league where Makhanya spent an important phase of his development. The former Bafana coach repeatedly questioned the standard of the American top flight.
Makhanya never bought into that view. Not then, not now.
"I never understood the criticism because all these people probably never actually watched the MLS. People that really watch that league will tell you that it's high level football," he said.
For him, this is not just about defending a former employer. It’s about defending the path that shaped him. To dismiss MLS, in his eyes, is to dismiss the work he put in there and the level he had to reach to move on.
Ranking his football journey
To underline his argument, Makhanya laid out his own hierarchy of the leagues he knows best. No hesitation, no diplomatic fence-sitting.
"Honestly, if I were to rank them, I'll put the Scottish Premiership first, second is the MLS, and the Betway Premiership is third."
It’s a ranking that says plenty. It underlines the respect he has for the intensity and physical edge of the Scottish Premiership, but it also plants a firm flag in defence of MLS as a serious, competitive environment – one he believes too many critics judge from a distance.
Now, under Mosimane, the question is simple: will a defender forged in those leagues finally be trusted to command South Africa’s back line, rather than watch it from the dugout?
