This year’s Banyana Banyana team at the Cosafa Women’s Championship will be managed by Simphiwe Dludlu.
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Dludlu has been called upon by a number of former Banyana players who failed to make the final training camp as she prepares for the regional tournament, which is due to be held in Port Elizabeth from August 31 to September 11.
Dludlu takes charge of the Banyana team in the absence of head coach Desiree Ellis, who is said to have other commitments after winning the African Women’s Cup of Nations (Wafcon).
She called up former senior national women’s team regulars such as Notanda Vilakazi, Kaketso Tlailan, Busisiwe Ndimeni to name but a few.
There are also some new faces in the squad with City Lads’ Sinaza Ntshoto and Richmond Ladies’ Michelle Sampson.
Dludlu says she is excited about the opportunity the South African Football Association (Safa) has given her and wants to learn from the experience.
“This is a very big opportunity presented to me by the association and the best coach in Africa, Desiree Ellis. I’m excited to be given a platform to learn more by continuing the work I’ve done at Under-17 and Under-20 level where we’re making sure we have a big pool of players,” Dludlu said.
“I will be assisting Coach Desiree in expanding the player pool for Banyana Banyana as they continue their preparations for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. I am excited about the players we have selected and that these players will be able to play against the quality players in the Kosafa region.”
South Africa are in Group A of the 2022 Cosafa Women’s Championship alongside Angola, Mauritius and Mozambique, while Group B consists of Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zambia.
Defending champions Tanzania will face Comoros, Botswana and Malawi in Group C.
