The Bafana Bafana goalkeeper and captain is in the 27-man squad for Kenya despite a recent injury. Head coach Pitso Mosimane will decide after medical advice.
The squad is out, the doubt remains. Ronwen Williams, South Africa’s international goalkeeper and captain, is among the 27 players named by Pitso Mosimane for the two CAF 2027 qualifying matches against Kenya, Africa Top Sports reports. The Mamelodi Sundowns shot-stopper is, however, coming back from a recent injury and is in the recovery phase.
His presence in Johannesburg on 13 November, and then in Nairobi on 17 November, is therefore not confirmed. The Bafana Bafana head coach has warned that he will wait until the last possible moment before ruling on his captain’s participation, and that he will decide after medical advice.
A key player’s status to preserve
Mosimane explained his decision not to rule out the Sundowns goalkeeper from the outset. “These are key players who led us through the first AFCON (in 2024), the second AFCON (in 2025) and the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” he told Africa Top Sports. In his view, Williams falls into that category of players you do not do without until every option has been exhausted.
“So these are very important players and we will wait until the last possible moment if the doctors tell me: ‘Coach, we judge them unavailable’,” the coach added. The wording suggests that the final decision will rest with the medical staff as much as with him.
The player’s recent record supports that approach. Goal.com recalls that Williams was a key figure in South Africa’s recent successes, notably during the historic run to the knockout stages of the 2026 World Cup. His experience weighs heavily on the head coach’s choices.
Sundowns under observation
Before making a call, Mosimane will have one last piece of evidence at his disposal: the CAF Super Cup final between Mamelodi Sundowns and USM Alger, scheduled for Sunday 8 November. The head coach will watch his goalkeeper’s involvement in that match before deciding, Africa Top Sports reports. A real test, then, before the squad gathers.
The calendar, however, leaves little room for manoeuvre. South Africa host Kenya at the Orlando Amstel Arena in Johannesburg on Friday 13 November, just five days after that final, before the return match in Nairobi on Tuesday 17 November. Two closely spaced fixtures that weigh on squad management.
Goss, the fallback option
Should the captain withdraw, Ricardo Goss’s name keeps coming up. Alex Heredia, a former Bafana Bafana goalkeeping coach, raised it with Goal.com, presenting his remarks as a personal opinion rather than official information. “It’s a complicated situation. It’s quite interesting. The number one, of course, is Ronwen. There’s no discussion. But, honestly, if Ronwen isn’t there, for me, Goss can be the solution,” he said, before adding: “I would pick him against Kenya.”
Heredia’s position does not prejudge Mosimane’s choice, and the head coach has announced nothing of the sort. It nevertheless illustrates the uncertainty surrounding the goalkeeping position ahead of a double header against Kenya.
The head coach is expected to deliver his decision in the days following the Super Cup final, once the medical verdict is known and Williams’s performance has been observed. Until then, his name remains firmly on the 27-man list.