Olwethu Makhanya: A Rising Star in South African Football

Olwethu Makhanya has the look of a player on the rise, but his journey with Bafana Bafana has been anything but straightforward.

At club level, the Rangers defender has grown into one of South Africa’s most promising exports, a composed presence at the back with the kind of profile European scouts track closely. On the international stage under Hugo Broos, though, he mostly watched from the sidelines.

Even at the FIFA World Cup in June, when his form and reputation suggested he could anchor South Africa’s defence, he spent his time on the bench. The frustration lingered.

So when the Pitso Mosimane era officially began, it felt like a line in the sand.

"I saw the coaching change as an opportunity for a fresh start in the national team because I always felt like I was overlooked by the previous coach," Makhanya told SABC Sport, laying bare a feeling many suspected but he had rarely voiced so bluntly.

Broos’ tenure was never short of strong opinions, and one of his more contentious themes was his public dismissal of Major League Soccer. For Makhanya, who spent a key phase of his development in the United States, those comments cut deeper than a throwaway remark at a press conference.

The Belgian questioned the level of competition in MLS. Makhanya, who had lived that reality week after week, could not reconcile that criticism with what he had experienced.

"I never understood the criticism because all these people probably never actually watched the MLS. People that really watch that league will tell you that it's high level football," he said, defending a league often written off from afar.

He was not just protecting his past. He was defending a pathway that helped shape the player he has become.

To underline the point, Makhanya offered his own ranking of the competitions he knows best. No diplomatic fence-sitting, no carefully packaged answer.

"Honestly, if I were to rank them, I'll put the Scottish Premiership first, second is the MLS, and the Betway Premiership is third."

That hierarchy says plenty. It reflects the intensity and physical edge of the Scottish Premiership, where he now plies his trade with Rangers. It also places MLS firmly ahead of his home Betway Premiership, a clear nod to the structure, tempo and quality he believes the American game delivers.

For South Africa, the question now is simple: under Mosimane, does a defender hardened in Scotland and sharpened in the United States finally get the trust he feels he has long earned?