Coach Hugo Broos will go to the continental finals with another win under his belt to extend his unbeaten run in the dug-out to 26 matches.
That does not include their shoot-out loss to Nigeria in the 2023 AFCON finals and the boardroom decision from FIFA to award Lesotho three points in their World Cup qualifier that Bafana won 2-0.
It was a solid, if unspectacular, workout for Bafana, even if the opposition was essentially a CHAN selection of home-based players only for the visitors.
"I am very happy with the result, but we can be much better than we showed,” Broos said. “We did not play a very good game, where was not so much movement in the team that we are used too. The passing was not good.
"We will have to be better next week (against Angola in their AFCON Group B opener in Marrakech).
"Maybe the players were a little bit afraid to be injured ahead of the AFCON. It was the same two years ago against Lesotho in our last game before the tournament, which was also horrible.”
Broos also played several of what could be considered fringe players to give them a run before his side’s clash with Angola on Monday.
Bafana controlled most of the game but Ghana had their moments, not least when Rudolf Mensah hit the post in the second half as they sought an equaliser.
But in the end it was a moment of brilliance from Mbule that earned the win, another feather in his cap after what has been a fairytale return to the national team after being frozen out for the previous four years.
His return in September following injuries to Themba Zwane and Patrick Maswanganyi was a surprise, but he has certainly taken his chance.
He picked up the ball 40-yards from goal in the 57th minute and drove towards the Ghana box. He then unleashed a thunderbolt of a strike that arrowed into the bottom corner of the net.
He was Bafana’s best player on the pitch, goal aside, and now looks certain to playing the ’10’ role at AFCON.
His goal was Bafana’s first shot on target in the game as they could only otherwise create half-chances.
The match was played without three of Bafana’s overseas-based players such as Lyle Foster (Burnley, England), Sphephelo Sithole (Tondela, Portugal) and Shandre Campbell (Club Brugge), who will join the team when they arrive in Morocco on Thursday.
"I am sure boys will be ready for next week,” Broos said. “We will have three more players join our group and then we will be complete and ready to push in the tournament."
