Meridian Northern Academy’s Thato Mpati earns Amajita call-up
The South Africa u20 men’s national team, known as Amajita, is currently in camp preparing for the forthcoming 2025 u20 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), which takes place in April in Côte d’Ivoire.
Before the tournament’s kickoff, Amajita, as part of their preparations, takes on Botswana in two friendly international matches on 22 and 25 March.
Among the players to have been called up is Meridian Northern Academy’s Thato Mpati. The grade 12 learner represents the Kay Motsepe Schools Championship winners and also showcases his talents for Magesi FC in the DStv Diski Challenge.
Those close to him describe Mpati as a natural-born leader with exceptional talent. He has been an important part of Meridian Northern Academy’s success in recent years and was a key player in the team that won the Kay Motsepe Schools Championship in 2024.
The final of the Kay Motsepe Schools’ Championship, where Meridian Northern Academy was crowned the national champion after defeating Eletsa Secondary, from the North West Province, 2-1 in the title clash, was played in Rustenburg.
Mpati earned the title of top goalscorer in the tournament, while his teammate Bokang Thaba was named the player of the tournament. Additionally, their coach, Hendrick Mukwevho, received the accolade of the coach of the tournament, which highlighted and underlined the dominance of the Meridian Northern Academy team.
Mpati’s selection for the u20 national team is a testament to his hard work and the strong football development programme at Meridian Northern Academy, which continues to produce top players.
After learning about his selection for Amajita, the Meridian Northern Academy team congratulated Mpati on the achievement and wished him success as he took a significant step forward in his football career.
The South Africa u20 team began training sessions for the Afcon tournament on Wednesday, 19 February.
