Stellenbosch FC have secured one of the more intriguing midfield additions of the South African transfer window, bringing in Bafana Bafana international Njabulo Blom on a season-long loan from Indonesian Super League side Borneo Samarinda — with paperwork expected to wrap up before next Monday's deadline.
Blom, 26, has lived a few football lives already. Two stints at Kaizer Chiefs. A stint in MLS with St. Louis City. Now the Winelands, wearing the No. 35 shirt, working under a coach who will tell him exactly where he stands.
Why Hunt's regime suits this loan
Gavin Hunt is not the kind of manager who flatters players into form. Blom seems to understand that — and he's actively looking for it.
"I know coach Gavin demands a lot from his players and that will also help me improve and get back to my best," Blom said after arriving at the club. That's not the usual diplomatic new-signing quote. It reads like a player who knows his recent career has stalled and needs a jolt.
Stellenbosch have built a reputation as a club that actually develops players rather than just cycling them through. Several players who came through their system moved on to bigger things, which is exactly what attracted Blom. Whether a season under Hunt restores him to consistent PSL-level form is the real question — and the answer matters for Stellenbosch's midfield depth in what's shaping up to be a competitive campaign.
A debut against his former club
The fixture list has thrown up something worth watching immediately. Blom could make his debut on 17 October 2026 when Stellenbosch host Kaizer Chiefs — a club he represented twice. The kind of first appearance that gets a crowd invested before a ball is kicked.
Stellenbosch's midfield options and their results in those early fixtures will be worth tracking closely — teams adding experience at this stage of a window tend to hit their rhythm a few weeks in, not straight away. Patience is the bet here, not an instant impact.
Blom is a twice-capped international with the range of experience to do a job in this league. Whether he can do it consistently, and whether Stellenbosch can extract the best version of him, is what the next few months will answer.
