The South Africa captain has attributed his side’s astounding achievement in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers to the efforts of the head coach

Dean Furman hails Mashaba's imapact

South Africanational team captain Dean Furman has attributed his team’s astonishing results to the discipline infused in the collective by coach Epharaim 'Shakes' Mashaba.

Bafana Bafana on Wedneday dashed Nigeria’s hope of playing in Equatorial Guinea 2015 after holding the African champions to a 2-2 draw in Uyo.

Speaking after the match, the Doncaster Rovers midfielder also expressed his delight at leading his country to the Nations Cup since the sad demise of former captain and goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa.

"It’s a very proud honour to lead this team to the Africa Cup of Nations,” said Furman.

"Senzo started the campaign perfectly. He played four games for us and he was fantastic and unbelievable for us. Not just on the pitch but off the pitch too.

"So when the coach selected me to carry on with the leadership mantle, it was up to me to carry on in the manner the late Senzo had set for us.

"In our last two games, we showed we have players who could move forward even when the going was tough.  We were willing to fight for one another and that was what the coach instilled in the team,” he concluded.

South Africa ended the Afcon qualifiers unbeaten having amassed 12 points from six games and conceded only three goals.