10 July 2025 – Banyana Banyana coach Dr Desiree Ellis is expecting nothing but a win from her charges when they face Tanzania in their second match of the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on Friday, 11 July 2025 at the Oujda Stadium in Morocco.
Kick-off for this encounter is 21h00 SA Time (20h00 local time in Morocco).
Both teams come into this fixture at the back of contrasting results – the South African senior women’s national team defeated Ghana 2-0 on Monday (7 July), while Tanzania lost 1-0 to Mali in the other Group C clash played on the same day.
It’s been 17 months since South Africa faced the East Africans, where Dr Ellis’ charges won at home and away (0-3, 1-0) in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games qualifiers in Dar es Salaam and Mbombela respectively.
But Ellis says that is all in the past as the Twiga Stars are desperate for victory to stay alive in the 2024 WAFCON. Victory will see South Africa move a step closer to qualifying for the knockout stages.
“Obviously, we want to get a win to cement our place in the second round. The last group stage match will determine who goes top, but we have seen in the matches over the last couple of days that there are no easy games,” Dr Ellis said.
“We have played Tanzania before but that goes out of the window, it means nothing. We also know that they need to win to stay in the competition, so we need to make sure that we don’t concede because we are going to create opportunities and then take those opportunities. We need to be a lot more clinical in the attacking third when we are there. We had a couple of chances against Ghana that could have sealed the game, and they hit the crossbar after that. We need to concentrate a lot more on what we need to do to make sure we get those things right.”
Fullback/winger Lebogang Ramalepe, who is also one of the Banyana Banyana co-captains, says she knows a lot about Tanzania and expects a difficult day at the office.
“To be honest it’s going to be a tough one, we have played them before. What Tanzania needs in this competition is a win to keep them in the run and help them out of the group stage. As a team we just need to stick to our game plan. I have played against them while at Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies in the Champions league, so it’s going to be a tough one. We know each other, it’s like we are friends, but we are not friends,” said Ramalepe.
Tanzania coach Bakari Shime has admitted that they have their work cut out against the defending WAFCON champions. This is the first time the East Africans return to the WAFCON after an absence of 15 years. They last played in the 2010 edition and bombed out in the group stages.
“This is a different match from the opener against Mali. South Africa are the defending champions, and it is not easy to play against them. But we are well prepared to play against them according to their ability. I will give them much respect on the field and they will give them much respect, and then we’ll do everything carefully,” said Shime.
“We lost two matches against South Africa in the 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers but if you remember those matches, you will recall Tanzania’s performance in both games. Yes, they are the defending champions, more experienced than us, and we take every caution in this game.”
Ghana will go toe to toe with Mali in the other Group C match to be played at the Berkane Stadium.
South African Football: Clubs like Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs have produced many professional players through their academies.
Athens Fire
Sport Trivia: She was the first South African to win gold at the Olympics after 44 years. She won the gold medal in the 100m and 200m breaststroke in Atlanta in 1996. Answer: Penny Heyns. Penny Heynes held 14 records for breaststroke. During the 1999 Pan Pacific games, she broke 6 world records, (many of them her own previous records), and by the end of 1999 she held the record for the 50m, 100m and 200m long course breaststroke, simultaneously.
Jigsaw
Thailand: You have two cows. One of them was born a bull.