Cape Town – Minister of sport and recreation Fikile Mbalula has congratulated the South African Under-20 soccer team for their performance at the Under-20 African Nations Cup in Zambia.

After beating Sudan, Amajita qualified for the semi-finals and secured South Africa a place at the 2017 FIFA Under-20 World Cup to be hosted in South Korea.

“I watched all of their games with the most intense performance being the semi-finals. Our under- 20 boys fought like warriors and South Africa could not be more proud. This is the fighting spirit I spoke of when I sent them a message of support ahead of the tournament. Our boys hoisted our national flag with pride. I firmly believe they will do the same at the 2017 FIFA Under-20 World Cup. I thank them and their coach for making us a proud nation,” Mbalula said via a press statement.

Amajita, who lost 1-0 to Zambia in the semi-finals on Wednesday night, will join the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations hosts, as well as Guinea and Senegal as the African contingent at the World Cup.