The Sunday Mail
Arthur Choga
The date was April 28, 2002 and it was the inaugural COSAFA Women’s Championship.
I remember it vividly because I was accompanying my brother to pay lobola at his in-laws.
As is the norm, our team was at a neighbour’s house in the leafy suburb of Warren Park. (Take a look at an aerial picture of Warren Park and see how many trees there are — it is leafy!).
Across town, at Rufaro Stadium, the new darlings of Zimbabwe sport, the Mighty Warriors, were playing in the final of the championships.
Entrance was free and the stadium was packed. The Mighty Warriors had built a following on the back of some inspired performances and their players were becoming household names.
People talked excitedly about Precious Mpala, Rose Mugadza, Nomsa Moyo and Onai Chingawo.
I got to watch the final at the designated stopover house because our in-laws hadn’t invited us in yet.
The phenomenal Veronica Phewa opened the scoring for South Africa in the 17th minute.
Pretty Phiri pulled a goal back on 57 minutes, but Portia Modise scored a minute later for South Africa and they hung on to claim the title.
Phewa had announced her presence at the tournament by scoring eight goals in the opening game against Botswana as South Africa won 14-0.
South Africa would find the net 31 times in three games as they strolled to the knockout stage. Zimbabwe were not to be outdone.
They scored 25 in their opening three matches: 15-0 over Lesotho, 6-0 over Malawi and 4-0 over Zambia.
Zambia took the bronze medal from a Julia Siame goal against Mozambique in the third-place play-off.
Zimbabwe and South Africa would face off again in 2011 when the Mighty Warriors hosted the COSAFA Women’s tournament again. The COSAFA website describes the 2011 tournament this way:
“Hosts Zimbabwe became the first side to break South Africa’s hold on the COSAFA Women’s Championship when they picked up the trophy on home soil in 2011. The tournament was played at two venues across Harare and included East African guest nation Tanzania … and it was the hosts who triumphed as Rufaro Machingura scored the only goal (against South Africa in the final) with six minutes remaining to claim gold for her team.”
Machingura would top-score in that tournament with eight goals.
In 2016, Zimbabwe and South Africa were the two African nations that qualified for the Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil.
Zimbabwe would suffer from stage fright but left the tournament having scored in each of their games. They lost 6-1 to Germany and Australia, and 3-1 to Canada.
In qualifying, Zimbabwe triumphed against Cameroon and had a walkover against Ivory Coast. They tested themselves in some of the continent’s toughest environments and came out winners.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago, South Africa dismantled Morocco before a full house at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat to claim their first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title.
Hildah Magaia scored twice in almost similar fashion to take the game away from Morocco. The crowd at the stadium was estimated to have been around 60 000.
South Africa, coached by former captain Desiree Ellis, beat the pre-tournament favourites Nigeria in their first game of the tourney.
They beat Burundi and Botswana to top Group C.
Identical 1-0 victories against Tunisia and Zambia in the quarter-finals and semi-finals put them in the final, which they completed in style.
This was the third time that Nigeria didn’t win WAFCON. The only other team to ever win this tournament before was Equatorial Guinea in 2008 and 2012.
Four Banyana players — Goalkeeper of the Tournament Andile Dlamini, defender Bambanani Mbane, midfielder and captain Refiloe Jane and attacker Jermaine Seoposenwe — were named in the 2022 WAFCON Best XI.
Zambia, 1-0 losers in the semi-final to South Africa, qualified for the World Cup to be played in Australia and New Zealand in 2023.
Zimbabwe were not at WAFCON.
Even if the Zimbabwe had not been banned by FIFA, the team may very well not have made it. The South African experience provides learning points for any federation keen on developing women’s football.
Consistency
South Africa had played in five finals before winning this one. They made the finals in 1995, 2000, 2008, 2012 and 2018. They have been in the last two finals. Their coach has been named women’s Coach of the Year for the last two years, winning a third Coach of the Year title in a row just before the finals. Besides the obvious empowering narrative of a woman leading a women’s team to the title, SAFA’s commitment to the coach and their support for her programmes has been commendable.
Corporate backing
Banyana Banyana sponsors, Sasol, have been with the team through all their battles and are reported to be considering extending their sponsorship. Why wouldn’t they? The team they back are champions of the continent and their brand will be in a good space. Sasol run a national league, The Sasol League, which has 144 teams nationwide and with each province having 16 teams, thereby making a huge impact on the lives of the players, affording many the opportunity to pursue studies and gain regional and global experience of football through tours and friendlies.
The Sasol League has brought communities together through sport and the support of women’s football has opened doors to new opportunities for women football players.
Once sponsors and the teams agree on values and on what needs to be done, this relationship should be nurtured and protected by all parties.
Training
The South African women’s team used to train on fields in the township. They were taken as second class, with their position in the hierarchy being seen as below even men’s Under-23 (Amagluglug) and Under-20 teams. However, with their sense of commitment and their attitude, the team now trains at much better facilities, and their recent victory will open even more doors.
Continuity
South Africa lost their highest-profile player Thembi Kgatlana early in the tournament. They did not let that faze them. They drafted other players and life went on. In the run-up to the tournament, key senior players were injured but they moved on without them. The team has demonstrated an ability to rejuvenate with young players coming through the ranks. A team with no juniors coming through will burn and disappear.
National pride
The South African media takes the cake when it comes to supporting their sporting teams. The South African media will take an average player, build them up into an icon and support them to the hilt whenever they put on the national uniform. The way South Africa turned out across media platforms was a major boost for the team. It helped that the team won.
The way South Africa have gone about their women football business provides a template that other federations can follow, with changes to fit the local context. It is a tried and tested winning formula.
