- published: 25 Jul 2012
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Bongani Sandile Khumalo (born 6 January 1987) is a South African footballer who plays as a centre back for English Premiership side Tottenham Hotspur and South Africa. He is known for his brute strength and ability to injure the strongest players while tackling cleanly.
Khumalo was born in Manzini, Swaziland, because his mother was studying there at the time. He grew up in Pretoria and was the third player born outside South Africa to play for Bafana Bafana.
Khumalo went through the academy of Arcadia Shepherds before opting to sign for University of Pretoria in 2005 where he made 50 appearances scoring four times.
In 2007 it was agreed that he would join South Africa giants Supersport United making 79 appearances scoring eight goals. Following the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Scottish Premier League club Rangers revealed on their website that they were interested in signing Khumalo and his South Africa teammate Katlego Mphela from Supersport United and Mamelodi Sundowns respectively. In August 2010, Khumalo's agent revealed that Tottenham Hotspur were looking to sign Khumalo in the January transfer window after he had accrued more game time with Supersport United and the national team. On 26 October, it was confirmed Spurs had reached an agreement with United to sign Khumalo in January 2011.