Khumalo’s Message to Snubbed Dansin: Mosimane Hasn’t Forgotten You, Kid
Missing the final cut can sting — but according to Doctor Khumalo, Cemran Dansin has every reason to hold his head high after his Bafana Bafana snub.
The 21-year-old Orlando Pirates midfielder made Pitso Mosimane’s preliminary squad for the AFCON qualifiers against Guinea and Eritrea, plus a friendly against Egypt.
He was however left out when the final list was announced. For a player still building his name at senior level, it could easily read as a setback. But Khumalo sees it differently.
Speaking on The DNA Podcast, the Kaizer Chiefs legend explained that being named in a preliminary squad carries its own significance — a signal, not a rejection.
“Preliminary, it gives hope that ‘oh, I was selected,'” Khumalo said. “Hence, I’m saying it doesn’t mean that you’re not part of the 30, you’re out…
“I mean, Dansin, the young boy from Orlando Pirates, Pitso is talking to us to say these are youngsters that we need to groom.”
Khumalo believes Mosimane’s decision was less about doubting Dansin and more about picking the right battle-hardened squad for a high-stakes opening assignment.
“Just to show that boys, you are part of my journey, you are part of the preliminary squad,” added the man nicknamed ‘16V’ during his heydays.
“But because I’m going to my first war, let me take the experienced soldiers, but I haven’t forgotten about you boy, you see.”
For Dansin — a DDC product who helped Pirates to a domestic treble last season and now finds himself in the Under 23 squad facing Algeria this month — patience, not disappointment, seems to be the real takeaway.
