Mustapha Cassiem (19 years old) and Dayaan Cassiem (22 years old) are talented hockey playing brothers who hail from Mitchells Plain.

They represented the South African men’s senior national hockey team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and stand out performances. Both playing striker they rocked some of the top teams in the world scoring 3 goals each. The goals between them represented 6 of the teams 16 total goals. This was a record most goals scored by the SA men’s team at any Olympics and they were 2 games short of previous Olympics as there were no playoff games for teams not making the quarter finals. Never before had the SA men’s hockey team been such a threat in front of goal and this was largely due to the brothers presence upfront. 

Nicknamed the “Brabo Brothers” after their choice of hockey stick brand, they were on the lips of the commentators throughout the five pool matches. 

Some highlights from the tournament include being 3 - 0 up vs world #2 The Netherlands. But the Dutchwere too good and went on to win 5-3. Scoring 4 goals vs World Champions and ultimate Olympic gold medalists Belgium also made the hockey world take note. Then the SA team made history beating world #5 ranked team (and ultimate 4th place finisher) Germany 4 goalies to 3. It was an incredible game with SA never having beaten Germany at a major event and only having beaten them in an official test match once prior. After this result the SA team jumped to 10th ranked in the world and ultimately finished 10th overall which equals our best ever finish in the Olympics men’s hockey tournament. 

The Cassiem Brothers aka Brabo Brothers are now both playing club hockey in Germany and will return to SA to represent Central Hockey Club in Athlone. Mustapha had recently made the move to Durban to study and play for Varsity College. 

Mustapha being only 19 years old was nominated by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) for the “Rising Star of the Year” award and voting closes 15th September. The first time a South African has been nominated for this award. 

The future of SA hockey is bright with these young talents who are already proving themselves with top performances on the world stage. 

SA men’s team results