As Bafana Bafana continue to search for their next coach, it is becoming clearer that competent candidates for the position are few.

All sorts of names have now been thrown into the hat, and I'm certain the Safa mailbox is overflowing with CVs, some from genuine applicants, but many others from charlatans, pretenders and chancers.

What Bafana do not need now, with a tough year of World Cup qualifying looming, is to take another risk by hiring a coach who would plunge the national team deeper into chaos.

But getting a real coach, not least one who fits into Safa's criteria of knowing the African game, is no mean feat.

If Safa were to look outside our borders, Herve Renard would perfectly fit the bill.

The Morocco coach is a likeable fellow, not only for his bright white shirt or legion of female admirers. He has time for everyone, is hardly emotional and, most importantly, has proven CV at this level.

Following Morocco's defeat in the Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal by Egypt at Port Gentil on Sunday, I approached Renard in the mixed zone - where all players and coaches pass through and stop for voluntary interviews.

He had just emerged from a long press conference, but was still wearing a grin as he spoke to every reporter who requested an interview.

I told him I was South African and that I would ask a question related to Bafana.

"Sawubona, unjani," was his response as he shook my hand.

He then provided the answer, saying he would not comment on the Bafana job out of respect for his current employers.

The Frenchman has never coached in SA, but on a few occasions he's been in the country, like in 2013 with Zambia for the Nations Cup, he clearly was able to pick up basics, such as a local greeting.

Some South Africans can barely offer a greeting in an African language!

He obviously would have no language problems, unlike one dunderhead once hired by Safa in 2009 but could not utter a single English word, having to rely on highly paid translators to communicate basics.

Renard renders irrelevant even CAF translators, opting to respond to questions in French and interpreting his own words to English so as to, in his own words, "save time".

He led unfancied Zambia to a first continental championship in 2012, and ended Ivory Coast's years of underachievement by winning the Nations Cup again in 2015.

No other coach, in the 60 years of the competition, has won this tournament with different countries.

Already, there are signs that he's succeeding in making Morocco competent again having led them to a first quarterfinal since 2004.

But would he dump them for SA?

Only Safa can ask him and get a definitive answer. I tried on Sunday and got a typically measured, diplomatic response which suggested Renard, 48, would listen to an offer, were it to come.

- Matshe is in Gabon as a guest of SuperSport