South Africa’s battling win over Namibia in their second game of the ongoing African Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire on Sunday has done much to tighten up the competition for places ahead final deciders in the group on Wednesday.

The Bafana Bafana who lost their opening game of the tournament to Mali last Tuesday had bounced back to reckoning as they beat Namibia, themselves opening day winners over Tunisia, to record their first win to further stiffen the fight for qualification for the crucial stages.

Goals from Percy Tau, Themba Zwane — who scored twice — and Thapelo Maseku ensured that the South Africans who won the tournament in their first attempt as hosts in 1996 found themselves in contention for places as the battle shifts to San Pedro and Korhogo for the last group deciders in mid-week.

Tunisia, 2004 champions, suddenly find themselves holding the wrong end of the stick as they sit bottom of the Group E table with just two points from two games.

Mali currently top the group with four points while South Africa and Namibia who have at least a victory each to their names have three points — in second and third place respectively.

Should Tunisia fail in their bid to pick an outright win over the Bafana Bafana in their last game of the group on Wednesday, they would be eliminated as whatever points they get from a draw won’t be sufficient to see them through, even as one of the tournament’s top four best losers!

For Tunisia to have a realistic chance of reaching the knockout stages, they must beat South Africa and hope that the game involving Namibia and Mali in a corresponding fixture to be played simultaneously in far away Korhogo do not end in a draw.