By Charmaine Ndlela
Banyana Banyana’s bid to reclaim the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title got off to a disappointing start after they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Tanzania in their Group B opener at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca, Morocco, on Monday.
Despite creating several good scoring opportunities, South Africa were punished for defensive mistakes as Tanzania’s Twiga Stars claimed a crucial opening victory.
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Diana Msewa gave Tanzania the lead before defender Bambanani Mbane brought Banyana Banyana back into the match with an equaliser shortly before half-time. However, Hasnath Ubamba scored the decisive goal in the 86th minute to secure all three points for the East Africans.
Speaking after the match, head coach Dr Desiree Ellis admitted her side had failed to make the most of their opportunities and paid the price for costly errors at the back.
“Goals win games. We knew what Tanzania was going to do, but the two goals we conceded were poor. They had two chances and they scored them and won the game. I said before the match that it was going to be a very difficult match, but we also made life difficult for ourselves,” Ellis said.
Despite the disappointing result, Ellis expressed confidence that the former champions would respond positively as they seek to keep their campaign alive.
Banyana Banyana will now regroup ahead of two crucial Group B fixtures against Côte d’Ivoire on 31 July and Burkina Faso on 4 August. South Africa remain in contention for a place in the quarter-finals, with the top two teams in each group progressing to the knockout stage.
Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie also encouraged the team to remain focused, saying the nation continued to support the players.
“Our comeback will be much stronger. Let’s get past this loss and plan for our next victory. You dominated the game today, but luck was not on our side,” McKenzie wrote on social media platform X.
He added that South Africans remained firmly behind the team as they continued their WAFCON campaign.
The match also marked a significant milestone for midfielder Linda Motlhalo, who earned her 100th cap for the senior women’s national team.
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South Africa are competing in Group B alongside Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso, with the top two teams progressing to the quarter-finals.
The 2026 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations is taking place in Morocco from 26 July to 16 August. The tournament also serves as a qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, with the four WAFCON semi-finalists qualifying automatically.
The losing quarter-finalists will contest additional playoff matches to determine Africa’s two representatives in the FIFA inter-confederation playoff tournament.
