Teboho Mokoena was serving a one-game suspension for accumulating too many yellow cards, but was played anyway by Bafana Bafana.
It leaves the South Africans second in Group C of the African World Cup qualifying groups, level on points with Benin and three clear of Nigeria in third. Rwanda, who sit fourth, are tied on 11 points with the Nigerians, who take on Lesotho on Friday.
Hugo Broos’ South African side, captained by goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, will hang their goalscoring hopes on Burnley’s Lyle Foster, who has eight goals in 18 games for his country.
As for Zimbabwe, who are coached by Michael Nees, have two Wolves players in their midfield, with Marshall Munetsi skippering the side alongside Tawanda Chirewa.
Marvelous Nakamba, the Luton Town and former Aston Villa midfielder, also features in the engine room for the Warrirors, who can call on ex-Bournemouth left-back Jordan Zemura and Plymouth Argyle’s Brendan Galloway in their defensive unit.
How to watch Zimbabwe vs South Africa
TV channel: This game will not be shown live on TV in the UK.
Live stream: However, you can stream the match live on FIFA+, the federation’s official streaming platform. Kick off is at 5pm BST.
Live blog: You can follow all the action with Standard Sport’s live blog!
