29 December 2025 – Bafana Bafana are through to the Last 16 stage of the Africa Cup of Nations after beating Zimbabwe 3-2 in a pulsating five-goal thriller played at the Marrakech Stadium on Monday night.
A lot was at stake in this final Group B match and the two COSAFA neighbours started the game with an opportunity to qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament. But it was coach Hugo Broos’ charges who raced to an early lead when Tshepang Moremi scored the opening goal of the match in the seventh minute after his goal-bound shot was deflected into the back of the net by Zimbabwe’s Divine Lunga.
To their credit, the Zimbabweans did not drop their heads after the setback and took the game to the South Africans instead, to the delight of the sizeable crowd that was in attendance. They were eventually rewarded when the troublesome Tawanda Mashwanhise found the back of the net in the 19th minute after dribbling his way past the Bafana Bafana rearguard.
The South Africans reclaimed the lead in the second half after Lyle Foster beat goalkeeper Washington Arubi in the air and headed his effort into the back of the net in the 50th minute. But the stubborn Zimbabwe equalised again after a shot from Maswanhise hit Aubrey Modiba and ricocheted into the back of the net in the 73rd minute. Bafana Bafana were awarded a penalty after Zimbabwe captain Marvelous Nakamba handled the ball inside the area very late in the game. Man of the match Oswin Appollis calmy stepped up and converted the winning goal of the match from the spot in the 82nd minute.
South African Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie joined the fans in the stands and added his voice to the many that cheered Bafana Bafana during this exciting showdown between the two neighbouring countries. The South African senior men’s national team will remain in Marrakech until towards the end of the week before travelling to Rabat for their Last 16 match.
South African Football: Bafana Bafana has a women’s counterpart known as Banyana Banyana.
Thunder Tank
New Zealand’s national rugby team, the All Blacks, pay homage to their Maori heritage by performing a captivating war dance called the ‘Haka’ before each game. This ritual not only energizes the team but also showcases the rich cultural traditions of New Zealand’s indigenous people.
Overrun
Rugby is also a very popular sport in South Africa and their national team, the Springboks, has performed particularly well in the international stage taking the 1995, 2007 and 2019 Rugby World Cups. There is also a fair amount of world-class Rugby players from South Africa that includes Bryan Habana, Danie Craven, Francois Pienaar, Frik du Preez, Joost van der Westhuizen, and Naas Botha. South Africa has also hosted quite a few international sports meetings like the 1996 African Cup of Nations, 2003 Cricket World Cup, as well as the 2007 World Twenty20 Championship.