By Mark Gleeson BBC Sport, Cape Town

Mbulelo Mabizela has been called up to the South Africa squad

Defender Mbulelo Mabizela has been called up to the South African squad to face Nigeria next week despite not having a club side.

Mabizela, who has played just two competitive matches this season, left English Premiership club Tottenham Hotspur last month by mutual consent.

He has since been rejected by another London club Fulham, where he was on trial last week.

Despite this South Africa coach Stuart Baxter has controversially included Mabizela in his 21-man squad for the Mandela Challenge Match against Nigeria in Johannesburg next week.

Mabizela missed Bafana Bafana's last match, a vital 1-0 win over Uganda in the World Cup qualifiers, because of suspension.

Also back in the squad is the 'enfant terrible' of South African football, Jabu Pule, who was last in the national team set-up at the African Nations Cup finals in Tunisia in January.

Pule is now playing in Austria after his former club Kaizer Chiefs let him go after a litany of run-ins with the law, drug and alcohol problems.

South Africa have also recalled Bradley Carnell who was injured for the game against Uganda.

Baxter has also drafted in two uncapped players - Gift Leremi of Orlando Pirates and the teenage striker Katlego Mphela, who made his full debt in France's first division with Strasbourg at the start of the season.

South Africa squad:

Goalkeepers:
Rowen Fernandez (Kaizer Chiefs), Calvin Marlin (SuperSport United), Hans Vonk (Ajax Amsterdam, Netherlands),

Defenders: Bradley Carnell (VfB Stuttgart, Germany), Mbulelo Mabizela (unattached), Siphiwe Mkhonza (Kaizer Chiefs), Aaron Mokoena (Racing Genk, Belgium), Nasief Morris (Panathinaikos, Greece), Cyril Nzama (Kaizer Chiefs), Thabiso Rammile (Mamelodi Sundowns),

Midfielders: Delron Buckley (Arminia Bielefeld, Germany), Quinton Fortune (Manchester United, England), Gift Leremi (Orlando Pirates), Steven Pienaar (Ajax Amsterdam, Netherlands), Jabu Pule (SV Mattersburg, Austria), Benedict Vilakazi (Orlando Pirates), Sibusiso Zuma (FC Copenhagen, Denmark)