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Mashaba in Bafana flight scare

Johannesburg - Bafana Bafana midfielder Mzikayise Mashaba was stopped from traveling with the South African squad on Wednesday as they departed for the Cosafa Cup in Zambia.

According to the supersport.com website, but he did get to leave on a later plane after problems with his passport were sorted out.

“Mashaba had a problem with his passport which was declined by Home Affairs at the airport and was unable to board,” said a South African Football Association statement soon after the incident.

“But the matter has since been sorted out and he will be on the 19:00 flight to Zambia on Thursday night. He is expected to land just after 21:00,” SAFA added.

It was not made clear what was wrong with Mashaba’s passport.

Bidvest Wits’ Mashaba, who won a single cap for South Africa as last minute substitute in a friendly against Equatorial Guinea in early 2012, is one of just a handful of players in the threadbare squad who have already played at full international level.

The scare over Mashaba meant that Bafana flew with just 18 players to Lusaka but defender Bevan Fransman will arrive on Monday to bolster their ranks after playing for his club SuperSport United in their friendly against Manchester City in Pretoria on Sunday.

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