Radebe, who won 70 caps for Bafana Bafana between 1992 and 2003, said Carlos Alberto Parriera's gamble to rely on local players rather than experienced performers from overseas league had backfired.
The hosts are now expected to crash out of the Cup at the first hurdle when they play France in their final Group A match in Bloemfontein on Tuesday. No home nation has failed to reach the second round at least in the tournament.
"There's a pool of players who could have at least added to the team who are experienced," he told reporters in Johannesburg on Monday.
"With Nasief (Morris) in the team and his experience ... playing at this level I think ... we could have done better," he said of the defender excluded from the squad and who plays in Spain for Racing Santander.
FOREIGN COACH
Radebe told Reuters after the news conference that the team needed a South African coach, adding players found it hard to relate to a foreign manager.
"If we use our own (coaches) it can really make a difference and to have a better selection as well in terms of how we know our players, how we know our own type of football instead of trying to change to the European style," he said.
"I'd like to see a South African coach after the World Cup."
Of local media reports of dissent in the camp, Radebe said: "I think possibly there might have been something brewing for a while - we came into the tournament with problems and a lot of criticism."
But he said the team must forget it and not degenerate as France had in a boycott of training on Sunday over the expulsion of striker Nicolas Anelka for abusing the coach.
"We can't copy France outside the field of play - what's left is to salvage our pride against France."
He added that South Africa simply did not have the quality of players needed to compete at such a high level.
"We still lack a quality to compete at this level," he said.
"It's all about the players. If you don't have the quality in terms of the players or in terms of the play, it's always going to be difficult."
