Fresh from getting his first taste of top-tier international football in South Africa’s memorable win over Rwanda earlier in the week, Mduduzi Shabalala joined up with his Amakhosi teammates on their flight to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday where they will face AS Simba in the first-leg of their CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round at the TP Mazembe stadium in Lubumbashi on Saturday.

The gifted playmaker came on as an 88^th minute substitute against Amavubi (the Wasps) at Mbombela stadium in a 3-0 win that earned Bafana Bafana a ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals in North America.

Having previously represented the country in various age-groups, as well as in CHAN competitions, Shabalala was overjoyed to make it onto the pitch for his international debut at the elite level.

“It was a great moment for me in my career because it is everyone’s dream to play for their country so I am very glad that I got some minutes on that day,” he tells www.kaizerchiefs.com, reflecting on that momentous occasion, “I have always wanted to be part of the main national team squad and I had to go through various tournaments at different levels to get here and I am very grateful for the opportunity.”

The 21-year-old attacker is now looking to carry that positivity into Amakhosi’s crucial CAF Confederation Cup tie against Simba this weekend, where victory over two legs will ensure the Club a place in the group phase of the competition that features the cup winners from across African national leagues.

“Obviously, it is a big game for us. We need to win in order to qualify for the next stage. It will be tough because we are away in the first-leg,” Shabalala admits, while also recognising a potential cause for optimism, adding, “but the pressure is on them and we want to win, or at least score in this game to give us an advantage going into the second-leg at home. If we take our chances we can go into the second-leg with less pressure.”

The Glamour Boys face the daunting prospect of playing on a synthetic pitch in sweltering heat, but Shabalala takes a very mature, professional approach to the challenge that awaits him in Lubumbashi, revealing, “We are aware of the conditions and although it won’t be easy, we are familiar with playing in hot weather. As far as the pitch is concerned, we just have to go out there and make the most of the situation. At the end of the day, we have to go and win a football match.”

This first-leg match kicks off at 15:00 on Saturday, with the second-leg scheduled for Sunday, 26 October at Dobsonville stadium. The winner of the aggregate scores will progress. If the scores are level after both legs, the team scoring more away goals will progress. If those are also identical, a penalty shootout will decide the tie.