Mokoena returned to the squad after falling out with Ted Dumitru

Aaron Mokoena scored his first international goal to give South Africa a precious 1-0 win over Zambia Sunday in a 2008 African Nations Cup qualifier.

The Blackburn Rovers defender struck after 28 minutes at the Independence Stadium, rising to power a Delron Buckley free kick past goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene.

Mokoena was reinstated as skipper for the Group 11 clash after a traumatic year in which he was stripped of the captaincy and temporarily retired from international football.

Known as The Axe, Mokoena has represented his country 58 times, but missed the 2006 Nations Cup in Egypt after a public storm with coach Ted Dumitru.

Victory lifted 1996 Nations Cup winners South Africa to four points and leadership of a group that includes Congo and Chad, who meet later Sunday in Brazzaville.

It was a timely success for Bafana Bafana, lifting the gloom hanging over the national team after being held 0-0 at home by Congo last month in their first qualifier for the 2008 tournament in Ghana.

Among those in the Zambian capital to see South Africa win there for the first time in four attempts was Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, who succeeds Mosimane in January.

Parreira led Brazil to the 1994 World Cup title and was also in charge this year when the favourites made a surprise quarter-finals exit against eventual runners-up France in Germany.

This was the best performance by South Africa for some time and they would have won more convincingly with sharper finishing, wasting several chances to put the result beyond doubt in the second half.

Chief culprit was Simphiwe Tshabalala, who volleyed a cross wide with only Mweene to beat 60 minutes into the match, staged in clear spring conditions on a bumpy pitch.

And veteran striker Siyabonga Nomvete should have done better 10 minutes later as he burst through only to hesitate and his pass was fired wide by Tshabalala, who was replaced by Ricardo Katza soon after.

Favourites Zambia seemed overawed by the tag with midfielder Christopher Katongo and striker Collins Mbesuma failing to have the expected impact on the clash of fierce regional rivals.

Katongo has been outstanding for Johannesburg-based club Jomo Cosmos, wreaking havoc with defences and scoring consistently, and many South Africans feared him.

Mbesuma was outstanding for another Johannesburg outfit, Kaizer Chiefs, before moving to Portsmouth, where he was less successful and the English Premiership club have lent him to Portuguese club Maritimo.

But South Africa defender Bradley Carnell comfortably contained Katongo while Mbesuma, handicapped by a heavily strapped thigh, rarely threatened goalkeeper Rowan Fernandez.