Banyana Banyana morale sky high after pre-Wafcon friendly successes

Bambanani Mbane of South Africa and Lesego Radiakanyo of Botswana during the Nations Challenge match between South Africa and Botswana at Lucas Moripe Stadium on May 28, 2025 in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images)

By Yanga Sibembe

5 Jun 2025

Over and above winning both their final friendly matches before the start of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, Banyana Banyana also welcomed back some stalwarts, as well as testing some promising youngsters.

Banyana Banyana recently played their final preparation international friendlies before they jet off to Morocco to defend their title as the queens of African soccer. Though both ended in victory, the core exercise from the two matches was Banyana coach Desiree Ellis assessing different things that the team is doing well, as well as where they can improve.

The two friendly fixtures, against Botswana and Zambia, ended in South Africa’s senior women’s soccer side winning 3-2 and 2-0 respectively.

During the two fixtures, Banyana’s technical team tried out different combinations and provided a number of hopefuls with an opportunity to audition for a spot in the final side that will trek to North Africa.

Outside of the victories, which Ellis had said were not too important for her during this international window, one of the positive takeaways was the return to the team of some key senior players.

Old guard returns

In the win against Botswana, Banyana’s co-captain Refiloe Jane made her return to international soccer — after a one-year injury-enforced absence. The skipper had last featured for South Africa in their 2024 Paris Olympic qualification clash against Nigeria, in April 2024.

The midfield general — who is also back playing in South Africa after leaving Italian outfit Sassuolo last year — put in a solid shift against Botswana. The TS Galaxy playmaker’s return was complemented by defensive stalwart Bambanani Mbane also making a comeback after a similarly lengthy layoff.

Mbane’s Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies teammate Karabo Dhlamini was also sidelined for large parts of 2024, but she is back just in time for Ellis’ team as they attempt to retain the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) title they won in 2022. The 23-year-old defender is a player Ellis is particularly fond of, due to her versatility.

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis. (Photo: OJ Koloti / Gallo Images)

Adrielle Mibe of South Africa with possession during their International Women's Friendly match against Malawi at UJ Soweto Campus on 5 April 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi / Gallo Images)

Bambanani Mbane of South Africa and Lesego Radiakanyo of Botswana during their Nations Challenge match at Lucas Moripe Stadium on 28 May 2025. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi / Gallo Images)

“There are a few things we can be better at. A big plus for us is having our senior players back. Bambanani played two 90-minute periods since coming back from injury. Karabo also played 90 minutes after coming back from injury. We saw Refiloe Jane play 60 minutes,” Ellis said after the victory over Zambia.

“We are trying different combinations to make sure that we have enough versatility in the team. So, sometimes a player will play out of position and there is a reason why. We know they are capable of performing in different positions,” she said.

Squad depth and harmony

Ellis and her support staff have a healthy pool of talent to choose from before their quest in Morocco. The coach has already announced a 46-player preliminary squad for the Wafcon. She will have to trim this to 21 players for the tournament, hence the need for versatile players.

“It helps us in terms of options for Wafcon, because the squad we can select is really small. So, the versatility of players will be really important,” Ellis stated.

In addition to having some of her trusted soldiers back, the Banyana Banyana coach also had an opportunity to observe some of the exciting youngsters fighting to anchor themselves in the team.

This includes JVW pair Casey Gordon (goalkeeper), as well as forward Boitumelo Mokoma — who is one of the top scorers in the early stages of the 2025 Hollywoodbets Super League season. Then there is zippy winger Adrielle Mibe. All three are still in their teens.

“Wafcon is around the corner now. Players such as Bambanani and Refiloe are very important for us. Their experience is invaluable and we’re happy that they are fit again. Even the newcomers are exciting for us,” said Dhlamini on the state of the team.

Denmark-based Bongeka Gamede played a starring role as Banyana downed Zambia’s Copper Queens 2-0 in Pretoria on Tuesday, 3 June 2025. The defender struck a long-distance free-kick to propel South Africa to victory over the Zambians. She said the team was oozing confidence in the lead-up to their title defence.

“The preps are going well. We’ve played Botswana, we played Malawi and Zambia. Botswana and Zambia are going to the Wafcon, so now we have some idea of what to expect there. Now we will carry on preparing ourselves and we will be ready (to defend our title),” Gamede said.

The final squad announcement will be made on 23 June 2025 in Johannesburg. The team will then depart for Morocco shortly after.

Twelve teams qualified for the 2024 Wafcon, which will take place from 5 to 26 July 2025. Banyana are in Group C, where they will face Ghana, Mali and Tanzania. DM

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Old guard returns

Squad depth and harmony