Lebone Seema's Call-Up to Bafana Bafana for AFCON Qualifiers
Lebone Seema’s rise at Orlando Pirates has stepped onto a bigger stage, with the in-form defender earning a place in Pitso Mosimane’s final Bafana Bafana squad for the upcoming AFCON qualifiers.
His call-up arrived on the back of a polished Pirates display on Thursday, a 2-0 win over Durban City at Orlando Stadium in which Seema not only marshalled the backline but also found the net. The moment the final whistle went, head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou made it clear this was no overnight success story.
“First of all, I really congratulate him and all the other members of the team who have been called to the national team,” Ouaddou said, before turning his attention to Mosimane’s decision. “I thank as well Pitso to call him. It means that he was following his work since last season. He's the future.”
For Ouaddou, Seema’s selection is a natural step, not a surprise. He sees a player wired for the top level, driven by mentality as much as talent.
“But I'm not surprised he's somebody that has the good mentality, professional, coachable,” the Moroccan coach explained. “It's very important for me because to improve, you need to be coachable and you need to be able to understand and to listen.”
Those words come from experience. Ouaddou has not given Seema an easy ride.
“He starts to know me now. Sometimes I can be hard with him,” he admitted. “Last season, I was really, really hard with him. But for his good, for his performance, we spoke a lot, we worked a lot about the quality of his passes, the alternation of short passes, long passes, the duels.”
The detail has mattered. The range of passing. The timing of his decisions. The edge in one-on-one battles. All of it has fed into a defender now preparing to test himself in international football.
Ouaddou believes that same openness to instruction will be a powerful asset under Mosimane in the Bafana Bafana setup.
“But of course, like you said, he has a lot of matches of progression,” he continued. “I'm really, really happy. Our technical staff and the club are very happy about this call. I hope he's going to continue and to bring us this experience as well from the national team.”
As South Africa gears up for crucial AFCON qualifiers against Guinea and Eritrea, Seema stands as part of a new wave under Mosimane, a defender seen as a long-term piece in the national backline. His versatility and comfort on the ball give Bafana options in a position that has often been under scrutiny.
Back in Mayfair, though, there will be no comfort zone. Ouaddou has already promised that the demands at Pirates will not ease simply because Seema has broken into the national team.
The international break now hands the youngster a different kind of test: proving he belongs among the elite of South African football, not just for one camp, but for the years ahead.
“He's the future of South Africa. We have such talent in that position in South Africa. I hope this call will give him confidence to continue to work, to grow. Again, thanks to Pitso to see his qualities,” Ouaddou concluded.
The next step is no longer hypothetical. It starts with Guinea and Eritrea, and with a Pirates defender trying to turn potential into permanence in Bafana colours.
