The East Rand-born goalkeeper was a notable absentee last weekend in Namibia after he was given permission to join the Olympic squad in preparation for the All Africa games to be staged in Mozambique in 2011 and qualifiers for the 2012 Olympics to be hosted in London.

The preparations got to a flying start as the South African U-23 side beat their counterparts in Botswana by 1-0 in a match played away in Gaborone on Saturday, “The squad is the continuation of the players that played in the U-20 team which has created a good vibe in the camp,” he said.

Thela also told kaizerchiefs.com that he was looking forward to working with Coach, Shakes Mashaba.

“He has the same philosophy as Serame Letsoaka who coached us at U-20 level. I am looking forward to working with Mr. Mashaba who is one of the best coaches around,” added Ngobeni.