Khulumani Ndamane, formerly with Kaizer Chiefs, has quickly become one of South Africa’s brightest young defenders.
After making a mark in the Amakhosi DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) side, the 21-year-old moved to TS Galaxy, where he played over 20 games in his first Betway Premiership season before earning a call-up to Bafana Bafana at the end of the term.
The left-footed centre-back has credited part of his rise to the Glamour Boy Given Msimango.
KHULUMANI NDAMANE HONOURS KAIZER CHIEFS DEFENDER GIVEN MSIMANGO
Speaking to the media this week, Ndamane, born in Sahlumbe, KwaZulu-Natal, revealed that Msimango has been a major influence in his come-up and growth as both a player and a professional.
“The person that I’ve been looking up to… he used to help me a lot as I’m growing,” Ndamane revealed. “So, yeah, I’d say he’s the one I look up to,” the Bafana Bafana international added.
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Msimango, hailing from Brakpan in Gauteng, captained TS Galaxy before signing for Kaizer Chiefs in July 2023. Sadly, the 28-year-old is yet to feature this season after a groin injury last term. Holding a Diploma in Business Management from Unisa and a BCom Accounting degree from the University of Johannesburg (UJ), Msimango played for UJ before moving to Highlands Park and then TS Galaxy.
With Zitha Kwinika, Miguel Cardoso, and Aden McCarthy locking things down for Kaizer Chiefs, nine clean sheets in 14 games, Msimango will have his work cut out if he wants to fight his way back into the starting XI. The same goes for fellow injured centre-back Rushwin Dortley.