To do so Amajita must reach the semifinals of the African Under-20 Championships in Zambia, and made the perfect start with an emphatic 3-1 victory over Cameroon in their Group B on Monday night as Luther Singh scored a hat-trick.
Mahlambi missed that game after a protracted row between his club BidVest Wits and SAFA over his availability, with The Clever Boys eventually agreeing to allow him to play the final two group games against Senegal and Sudan.
“I am very happy to be a part of the Amajita family and I am grateful that the coaches have selected me on this very crucial mission for our country,” he said. “I watched the match last night and was very eager to arrive here to start training with my teammates.
“I was very impressed with the way they played last night – and when called upon by the coaches, I will do my best to add on what is already a very a competitive team.
“I know that I will have to fight for a place in the starting line-up and it will not be easy as the team has already built its foundation, however, I am ready to earn my national colours and would like to see my country playing at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup tournament.
“We are a very blessed nation. The amount of talent we have is amazing and I hope that with the three goals that we scored against Cameroon, it is the beginning of great things to come.”