1996 African Cup of Nations winner and current Kaizer Chiefs Assistant Coach, Doctor Khumalo has cautioned Bafana Bafana not to take the countries like Cape Verde lightly if they are to proceed to the next round of the Afcon 2013 completion.

The South African football legend played a key role when Bafana Bafana conquered the continent back in 1996 was speaking to kaizerchiefs.com following Africa Cup of Nations draw that took place in Durban on the evening of Wednesday, 24 October 2012.

The draw saw Bafana Bafana being pitted with the likes of Cape Verde, Angola and Morocco in Group A of the tournament that will kick off on South African soil in January 2013.

“It is a tough draw for Bafana Bafana who is the host Nation for the competition. Coming up against the likes of Cape Verde might destabilise the mental factor of the players but in the tournament of this nature there are no small teams.

“The opening game against Cape Verde is crucial for the team to win the confidence of the nation,” said Khumalo.

“In 1996 we were also in a tough group and we came up against Cameroon a powerhouse in African football. We were motivated and we knew that we had to raise the bar. We went on to beat them (3-0) and by doing that we won the hearts of the nation who supported us through the tournament until our last game in the final when we beat Tunisia.

“We need to give all the teams in the competition the respect that they deserve. We also do not need to make comparisons and put ourselves under unnecessary pressure. If we do this then we can go far in the competition.

Current Bafana Bafana midfielder, Reneilwe “Maestro” Letsholonyane agreed with the sentiments of the legendary, Doctor Khumalo saying; “It is not an easy group as people make it to be. The teams that we will be coming up against went through a gruelling qualifying campaign and we need to give them the respect they deserve.

“Cape Verde will not be a surprise package in the tournament as they had to beat Cameroon one of the top teams in the continent to qualify. We need to be aware of this and not take them for granted. We need to apply ourselves and work even harder than we have done before to proceed to the next round of the competition.

“Generally I feel that it is a well-balanced draw. The teams that have qualified for the tournament are good teams and will be fighting for the pride. We need to go out and represent the country to the best of our ability,” added Letsholonyane.

Khumalo concluded by saying; “It is an honour that CAF has once more entrusted us with the responsibility to host the tournament. We need to grab this opportunity with both hands and hopefully the fans will come out in numbers to support the national team,”