Why AmaZulu's Rowan Human deserves a Bafana Bafana look in

AmaZulu playmaker Rowan Human will consider himself unlucky to have missed out on both recent Bafana Bafana call-ups after being one of the shining stars in the PSL so far in 2025.

On Tuesday, Human’s name did not appear in Bafana head coach Hugo Broos’ 37-man preliminary squad, just as it was absent when assistant coach Helman Mkhalele named his African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier squad.

Fair enough, AmaZulu would not have wanted to release their star player for CHAN qualifiers. That is understandable, as only third or even fourth-string players usually get called up for the tournament, which falls outside Fifa international dates.

On the other hand, Arthur Zwane is building a squad at AmaZulu to secure a CAF spot by the end of the season. After their early exit from the Nedbank Cup, their only path to possible CAF qualification is by finishing in the Top 4 in the Betway Premiership.

There is no doubt that Human is a key part of those plans. He is likely the first name on Zwane’s matchday list. Recently, AmaZulu announced on their social media platforms that Human was the recipient of the in-house Mitsubishi Player of the Quarter award — a well-deserved acknowledgment.

However, questions remain about why his name was not mentioned in the Bafana setup, particularly in the preliminary squad, from which the final 23 will be selected for the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin later this month.

Broos, instead, called up midfielders that include, Teboho Mokoena and Bathusi Aubaas (both Mamelodi Sundowns); Jayden Adams and Devin Titus (both Stellenbosch FC); Sinoxolo Kwayiba (Chippa United); Ndamulelo Maphangule and Oswin Appollis (both Polokwane City); Siphesihle Mkhize (Sekhukhune United); the Orlando Pirates' trio of Patrick Maswanganyi, Relebohile  Mofokeng and Thalente Mbatha (Orlando Pirates); and finally the Swedish based Luke le Roux (Värnamo).

So, yes, perhaps Human’s chances of making the final 23 were always slim, but so were those of Maphangule, Mkhize, and Kwayiba. Those three central-to-attacking midfielders cannot argue that they have outperformed Human.

In fact, maybe only Adams has been better than the 24-year-old in that position across the league in 2025. You could add Maswanganyi to the debate as well.

Human’s numbers speak for themselves: five assists, three goals, and at least three consecutive Player of the Match awards in February across all competitions.

Coaches call up players to preliminary squads, training camps, and alignment camps for various reasons, and Human deserved to be on that list — even if he was unlikely to make the final 23.

Whether the national team coaches had discussions with Zwane and his technical team regarding Human remains unknown. Hopefully, they did, and hopefully, the player is aware of it for his personal development and encouragement.

Broos is expected to announce the trimmed squad next week. The team will report to camp in Johannesburg a week later on Monday, before traveling the same day to Polokwane, where they will host Lesotho at Peter Mokaba Stadium on March 21. They will then travel to Ivory Coast to face Benin on March 25.