The only Bafana Bafana captain to have lifted a major trophy has come out to warn the current crop, with the road to the 2026 World Cup paved with potential pitfalls.
Neil Tovey, who captained a star-studded Bafana team to victory in the 1996 AFCON in 1996, believes old foe Nigeria cannot yet be discounted despite being four points behind Hugo Broos' men at the halfway mark of the qualifying campaign.
READ: Mlambo spotted in kasi tourney, pro career on the skids?
He also urged the nation to be understanding of the national squad's efforts.
On Tuesday, South Africa will face Benin at Stade Felix Houphouet Boigny in Ivory Coast, aiming to secure three points that will strengthen their position in Group C.
Bafana are currently on 10 points following a 2-0 win over Lesotho last Friday at Peter Mokaba Stadium. This result left many local fans feeling that Hugo Broos' men could have been more ruthless in front of goal.
"They didn't score the expected goals, but they were comfortable in the game. Yes, they didn't take their chances, but they won the game and at least they are creating chances," notes Tovey in his conversation with KickOff.com.
"You have bigger problems if you're not creating. Missing goals is not ideal, but you can accept it if you're winning. What happened against Lesotho doesn't mean we won't score goals against Benin.
"However, it's going to be a tougher match. The fact that Benin is playing in Ivory Coast adds to the challenge. Despite this tough away fixture, it's one they can win because the support will likely be neutral.
READ | Benin boss Gernot Rohr: If we beat Bafana Bafana...
"It's still too early to discuss qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. We need to take it one game at a time. But Nigeria is key in this group. We still have to play them again.
"Nigeria appears to be improving and looks capable of winning their remaining matches against the other teams, so we must secure a victory against Benin. That way, when we face Nigeria, we will have some leeway," adds 'Mokoko', as he was nicknamed during his exemplary playing career.
Kick-off is at 18:00.