Former Bafana Bafana defender Willem Jackson says the national team must use Sunday's game against Mali to learn not to lose at home.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth will host South Africa and Mali in the 25th annual Nelson Mandela Challenge on Sunday.
Jackson, who was a member of the first South African squad to play in a FIFA World Cup in 1998, believes Bafana have found themselves a good sparring partner in Mali.
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"Mali is a good team, they have good international players and they will give Bafana a good game," the former Orlando Pirates captain tells snl24.com/kickoff.
"We are at home so we need to prove that we can win at home. Teams need to know that when they come to South Africa they will not go away with the win.
"Our players are capable of doing us proud. The coach chose a good team. It's all up to the players to do a good job."
This will be Molefi Ntseki's first game as head coach, having had two countries pull out at the last minute during the previous international break.
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But former Platinum Stars assistant coach Jackson, who nowadays works as a Multichoice Diski Challenge reserve team coach at Highlands Park, says the Bafana coach is doing a good job.
"The coach is doing a good job with the players, giving them all the information about Mali. He knows the game and with his experience, he will do a great job.
"All we need to do is to support him and give him a chance to coach the boys. My advice to him is just to focus on the job and do his best. I wish him all the best."
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