Ajax Amsterdam midfielder Steven Pienaar has withdrawn from South Africa's squad to play Madagascar in Sunday's Cosafa Castle Cup quarterfinal on Monday and Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Stanton Fredericks will take his place.

Pienaar, who was a squad member at the World Cup finals last month, is in pre-season training with his Dutch club and unavailable for the match.

Fredericks, still fresh from the Vodacom Challenge tournament, won his first cap on the eve of the World Cup finals but was not picked in the final squad of 23.

The winner of Sunday's match in Port Elizabeth joins Malawi, Swaziland and Zambia in the semi-final draw, to be made directly after the game.

South Africa, despite being the top ranked country in the region, have never won the annual southern African championship.