The Under-20s lost 1-0 to Mali on Saturday in Bamako in a match played on a waterlogged pitch, thanks to a 40th minute goal by Ambramane Fane.
“It was another opportunity to expose the players to the conditions on the continent,” said Mashaba, who on Saturday was also confirmed as the new coach of Bafana Bafana.
“If you look at the first half nothing was happening because of the heavy rain and the pitch was badly affected. At some stage I thought the referee was going to stop the match because I was already starting to worry about injuries to the players.
“But it was good the game continued as it tested our boys’ character, and they somehow failed to think in order to adapt to the adverse conditions. In the second half we were a better side, even though we did not attack them as much as we should have, again because of the conditions.
“We did not also shoot enough towards goal especially in those conditions when you cannot play a passing game.
“I also thought fatigue was setting in for our boys – perhaps the travelling and matches every three or four days is starting to take its toll, and you cannot blame them but it was a good exposure.
“The loss is not a train smash as it is part of preparations and helps us fix our problem areas.”
Amajita will face Ivory Coast in their last match of the tour of West Africa on August 4 before returning home the next day.
These matches are in preparation for the 2015 African Youth Championships qualifier against Cameroon. The first leg will be played on Saturday, 16 August in Yaounde, with the return leg staged a fortnight later in South Africa.