Confidence in the Green and Gold is shot thanks to the Proteas.
Their World Cup campaign has been only watchable for us journalists, who have to go through the motions to keep the lights on at home.
For hardcore fans, whatever hope you all had probably went down lekker with the final beer from the six-pack during that loss to
Bangladesh in their second game.
And as if that isn’t enough to get you down, it’s Afcon time and we get to see what our absolute favourite team - Bafana Bafana - is going to do.
For those who are super cynical, you probably feel they won’t be up to much.
But you are not Safa boss Danny Jordaan.
He reckons that this Bafana Bafana team have what it takes to emulate the class of 1996 and lift the trophy at the end of the tournament in Egypt.
HIGH HOPES: Dr Danny Jordaan. Photo: Gerhard Duraan/BackpagePix
Coach Stuart Baxter is not as upbeat about his team’s chances, especially not with the favourites tag being talked about by some pundits.
But it’s not like Jordaan is known for taking no for an answer.
He reckons that their unbeaten qualification campaign means that glory is written in the stars.
And while that is reason to be optimistic with Bafana being drawn alongside Ivory Coast and Morocco in the “group of death”, we know better than to get our hopes up.
Maybe we should all listen to what Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis said when her team were knocked out of the World Cup earlier this week.
They went to France on a high, making it to their maiden global tournament after reaching the Afcon final last year.
But they had a rude awakening against opponents ranked higher than them - after all, these ranking are based on consistency.
What she learnt after, and was quick to point out, was that playing at a high level of football makes you a better team.
Ellis knows now that having your best players competing in the top leagues of the world, week in, week out, is essential to being a top national side.
It’s a shortcoming I’m afraid will be underlined when Bafana come home to jokes at their expense and inquests into the coaching team.
Glancing at our Group D rivals Ivory Coast and Morocco, they have talents in their teams who have made massive waves in Europe this season.
PREM STALWART: Wilfried Zaha. Photo: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire
In Monday’s clash against the Elephants, a PSL defence will have to deal with Wilfried Zaha and
Wilfried Bony. You know them from the Premier League.
But they are not even the real threats.
Nicolas Pepe is wanted by the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool after scoring 22 goals for Lille in Ligue 1. Only Kylian Mbappe scored more goals than him in France.
Then there is Lyon’s Maxwel
Cornet. Pep Guardiola knows all about the striker because he scored in a 2-1 Champions League group-stage win over his Manchester City.
Cornet then scored a brace when the teams played to a 2-2 draw in the return leg.
And that’s just their attack. In midfield, AC Milan’s highly-rated Franck Kessie and Jean-Michael Seri boss the park.
The Moroccans make for an even scarier proposition.
At last year’s World Cup, they conceded just two goals after going through qualifying with a clean sheet.
They got to Egypt this time around shipping just three. And marshalled by Medhi Benatia at the back, who can expect the Atlas Lions to be tough to break down.
MOROCCAN MAGIC: Hakim Ziyech. Photo: Andrew Couldridge/Reuters
With the likes of Younes Belhanda in midfield, they have creativity and steel with players based in Ligue 1 and Italy’s Serie A.
However, double Afcon-winning coach Herve Renard is blessed with a dream right flank.
Ajax Amsterdam duo Noussair Mazraoui and Hakim Ziyech were unplayable as they won the Dutch League and Cup double.
And they set Europe alight en route to the Champions League semifinals.
No disrespect to Sfiso Hlanti and Thembinkosi Lorch, but these are the manne they have to mark out of the game.
That gap in level these players compete at will test the quality of our players and they will earn mad respect if they can hold their own.
I guess all that’s left to say is: Level up Bafana.