Iqraam Rayners and Olwethu Makhanya have been named in South Africa’s preliminary squad for the 2023 COSAFA Cup tournament.

Stellenbosch FC have two representatives in the latest preliminary Bafana Bafana squad after Iqraam Rayners and Olwethu Makhanya were named in coach Morena Ramoreboli’s provisional 47-man selection for the upcoming COSAFA Cup.

Rayners, who missed out on the final squad for the recent CAF Africa Cup of Nations win over Morocco, earns a second shot after scoring 15 goals in 14 matches across all competitions at club level last season, while Makhanya cracks the nod after winning the 2023 Nedbank Cup Most Promising Player award.

RECAP | Stellies’ Rayners, Makhanya & Boji win big at PSL awards ceremony

The duo could follow in the footsteps of Jayden Adams, Athenkosi Mcaba and Antonio van Wyk who featured in South Africa’s COSAFA Cup squad last year (Lebohang Nthene was also included but unused during the competition), while Sibongiseni Mthethwa has also previously worn the famous gold and green jersey while on the books of Stellenbosch.

This year’s competition is scheduled to take place between 5-16 July 2023, with the players reporting for camp in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal on 27 June, and hosts South Africa will take on Namibia, eSwatini and Botswana in Group A action.