Two Sharpeville boys, Relebohile Mofokeng and Tshepang Moremi, are in Bafana Bafana’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) squad.

According to Sedibeng Ster, the Sharpeville-born youngsters were initially part of the 52-man squad head coach Hugo Broos had named in preparation for the Afcon tournament in December. The Citizen reports Broos named his final 25-man Afcon squad, which includes the duo who have been outstanding for Orlando Pirates this season, earlier today.

They have carried the club on their shoulders game after game, with Mofokeng making an impressive comeback from injury, while Moremi has been scoring goals at an exceptional rate for the Mighty Buccaneers.

Mofokeng began his amateur football career at Celeb Youth Academy, while Moremi started at Sharpeville Benfica FC.

Impressive midweek performances

The pair were outstanding in Pirates’ 2–0 win over Chippa United in the Betway Premiership. The match last week was played at Orlando Stadium and both dominated play, with Mofokeng instrumental in assisting the first goal. Moremi also contributed to the opener without touching the ball through clever off-the-ball movement between the two, resulting in a goal that sent Pirates supporters into a frenzy.

Local pride in rising talents

Speaking to Sedibeng Ster Sport, Paul Motsepe, who coached Moremi at Benfica, said this is great news. He said the two boys have put not only Sharpeville but the entire Vaal Triangle on the map.

“We are all proud of these two boys, and some of us witnessed their talent at a very young age. I always knew that one day they would make the Sharpeville community proud in a special way. Buda (Moremi) grew up next to me, and he was one of those youngsters who was always eager to learn. He is a hard worker of note, and I’m not surprised to see him where he is now,” said Motsepe.

*The article has been amended since it was first published to indicate the duo have been included in the final squad.

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