Olwethu Makhanya's Journey: From Overlooked Talent to National Team Opportunity

Olwethu Makhanya didn’t hide behind clichés. He’s carried the label of “one of South Africa’s brightest defensive prospects” for a while now, but under Hugo Broos, that tag meant very little when national teamsheets were drawn up.

He watched. He waited. He stayed on the bench at the FIFA World Cup in June, a spectator in a tournament every player dreams of playing in.

Now, with Pitso Mosimane stepping into the Bafana Bafana hot seat, the Rangers defender has finally put words to the frustration he felt during the Belgian’s reign.

“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,” Makhanya told SABC Sport.

That sense of being ignored ran alongside one of the defining debates of the Broos era: his open criticism of Major League Soccer, a league that helped shape Makhanya’s career. Broos repeatedly questioned the standard of the American top flight. For a player who had lived that level, it stung.

Makhanya never bought into the narrative.

“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.

The defender has seen three different footballing worlds up close: the Scottish Premiership with Rangers, MLS in the United States, and the Betway Premiership back home. He didn’t hesitate when asked to stack them up.

“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 clear defence of his journey and of a league many in South Africa and Europe still dismiss from a distance. For Makhanya, that distance is exactly the problem.

Now the landscape has shifted. A new coach, a new era, and for a defender who felt sidelined on the biggest stage, a real chance to turn those words into minutes on the pitch.