Soweto Derby: Five youngsters to look out for

For many boys in South Africa, regardless of club allegiances, the Soweto Derby is a fixture they desire to one day be part of. For a select few, the realisation of that dream comes early in their careers.

In the early 2000s, 16-year-old Buti Sithole made history as he became the youngest player to appear in a Soweto Derby, and in the two decades since, many other fledgling stars have featured in the famous fixture.

Orlando Pirates’ Andile Jali and Knowledge Musona of Kaizer Chiefs were still teenagers when they both made their derby bow in October 2009.

Happy Jele became Pirates’ all-time appearance maker in the Soweto Derby after first featuring as a 21-year-old in 2008, while Chiefs stopper Itumeleng Khune went on to make more appearances in the fixture than any other goalkeeper after making his derby debut at the age of 20 in 2007.

More recently, Amakhosi’s Happy Mashiane, a month after his 21st birthday, made just his second senior start in the league when he was selected to face Pirates in early 2019, just a few weeks after dealing with the disappointment of missing the Diski Challenge clash with the Buccaneers through suspension.

With a new generation of stars on the rise, SuperSport.com looks at five youngsters that could have an influence on the upcoming Soweto showdown:

Mduduzi Shabalala (Kaizer Chiefs)

Shabalala already has three appearances against Orlando Pirates to his name. He earned glowing reviews after making his Soweto Derby debut in February 2023, when Arthur Zwane named the then-19-year-old in the starting line-up.

Shabalala completed the full 90 minutes as the Glamour Boys snatched the win late on courtesy of an Olisah Ndah own goal. Since then, Shabalala has appeared off the bench in Chiefs’ two