Banyana Banyana defender Bambanani Mbane as ravenous as ever as she heads Wafcon defence

She may not be one of the three captains that Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis elected for the ongoing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), but defender Bambanani Mbane is definitely one of the leaders within the team fighting for South Africa’s pride at the Morocco-hosted tournament. 

Armband or not, Mbane leads by example every time steps onto the pitch. Whether it is doing her main job of frustrating strikers with her refined and robust defending, or unleashing defence-splitting passes that the best playmakers in the world would be proud of, the 35-year-old hardly has a bad game. 

Super start

At the 2024 Wafcon (it was postponed by a year due to a clash with the Olympic Games) Mbane has already starred and helped South African reach the knockout stage. 

In Banyana Banyana’s opening match of the tournament, in which they beat Ghana 2-0, Mbane was crowned player of the match. During the team’s second outing (1-1 against Tanzania) Mbane helped salvage a point with a goal for her country after the Tanzanians had surprised the defending African champions. 

But what’s the secret to Mbane’s consistent hunger for success? The Sterkspruit-born Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies player says it is hard work.

“One thing the general public does not know about me is that I work very hard behind the scenes; I even have a personal trainer. I train twice a day, with my club and then with the personal trainer. So, I put in a lot of practice, especially for my passing. What you see on the field is a result of that hard work and practice,” Mbane told Daily Maverick. 

“I’m not a person who likes to become comfortable in one position – I want to constantly improve as a player. I never want to hear people say ‘Bambanani can’t play football anymore’. So, I need to always work hard, especially because age is also not on my side,” the 35-year-old added.  

Testing period injured

The fact that the centre back has returned to the peak of her powers is testament to how much of a mentality monster she is. For months – between August 2023 and March 2024 – Mbane was in limbo as she recovered from potentially career-ending injury. 

The serious leg injury happened at the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup. Having helped Banyana Banyana to become the first senior South African soccer team to reach the knockout phase of a World Cup, Mbane went off injured in the first half of South Africa’s loss to the Netherlands in round of 16. 

The road to recovery was testing, especially because the hard-nosed defender is rarely injured. But a healthy support structure aided her recovery. 

“I’m grateful for the support I was getting from my wife, family and team. That really helped me bounce back from that setback, even though it was not an easy journey,” Mbane said.

Now I am back in the national team too, which is always an honour – because everyone wants to wear the Banyana Banyana jersey. So, when you are called up you must always show what you’re capable of – especially because the expectations are so high. I’m really happy to be back,” the defender stated. 

No retirement plans

Not only is she back, but she is back to her best as well. Hence, despite watching some of her fellow Banyana Banyana stalwarts retiring over the last year or so, Mbane is hungry to continue playing at the highest level. 

Fellow centre backs Janine van Wyk (who is the highest capped player of all-time in Africa) and former African player of year Noko Matlou recently retired. Mexico-based striker Jermaine Seoposenwe – who just happens to be Mbane’s roommate at Wafcon – has said she too will retire from national duty when this tournament ends. 

“It was a privilege to play alongside players such as Janine and Noko. In fact, they played a huge role towards the player I am today. I used to look up to them and I wanted to emulate their success. So, it was special to play with them,” said Mbane.

“I have no plans to hang up my boots in the national team just yet. I will continue playing until I feel that I can’t do it anymore. Everything we do in life is about timing and I feel as though I can still continue playing for the national team. After all, everyone is entitled to their own decisions,” Mbane stated.

“But I’m happy for the retired players. They raised the level of women’s football in general, not just at Banyana Banyana,” she added. 

As one of the veterans of Banyana Banyana, alongside team captains Refiloe Jane, Lebohang Ramalepe and Amogelang Motau, Mbane knows that whenever she dons the Banyana Banyana shirt, it is a bigger cause than just her playing soccer. 

The bigger picture

In addition to inspiring little girls and boys with her sensational displays on the field, Mbane hopes to set up a foundation to help rural athletes reach or surpass the heights she has.

“I’m keen to set up a foundation. Why? Simply because I’m a village girl. So, one day I hope I can unearth another Women’s Africa Cup of Nations winner from Sterkspruit. I’m sure I’ve inspired many people by just being Bambanani, but I must also actively pull up the people who wish to follow in my footsteps,” she said.

With South Africa now in the Wafcon knockouts and awaiting a tough challenge from Senegal, Mbane is cognisant of the threat faced by Banyana Banyana as they look to become just the second country to defend their Wafcon title. Of the three total winners of Wafcon, only 11-time champions Nigeria have managed to retain the trophy.    

“Anyone who plays with Banyana Banyana is also intent on beating us. But whoever is selected from this group is capable of playing. We know how important this tournament is as the defending champions. We just need to apply ourselves, even though it won’t be easy to defend our title.”

Banyana Banyana are next in action on Saturday, 19 July. The winner of their quarterfinal clash against the Senegalese will face the victor in the Nigeria versus Zambia quarterfinal. DM