Banyana ready to rise up rankings at AWC

Banyana Banyana will be looking to further climb up the FIFA world rankings and end a busy 2012 football year on a successful note when they compete at the CAF African Women Championship 2012.

The showpiece will be held in Equatorial Guinea from 28 October to 11 November.

The 21-member squad is scheduled to fly out of Johannesburg on Friday, 19 October 2012 to continue their preparations in hot, climatic conditions in Cameroon, before flying to Equatorial Guinea on Thursday, 25 October 2012.

Banyana Banyana have been drawn in Group A and will face hosts Equatorial Guinea in Malabo on 28 October, Senegal in Malabo on 31 October, and will travel to Bata for their encounter with DR Congo on 3 November.

A good run of form will see the SASOL-sponsored Senior Women’s National Team play in the semi-finals in either Malabo or Bata on 7 November, with the 3rd/4th place playoff and the title decider both scheduled for Malabo on 11 November.

Banyana Banyana obtained their best placed finish at the CAF African Women Championship 2000, in going down 2-0 to hosts Nigeria, and lost 2-1 in the final of the 2008 African showpiece to hosts Equatorial Guinea. At the CAF African Women Championship 2010 held in Ekurhuleni near Johannesburg, the South Africans ended third.

The travelling party includes most of the players who represented South Africa at the London Olympics in July, plus three new caps in the Durban Ladies (SASOL League KwaZulu Natal) pair of striker Silindile Ngubane and defender Charlotte Mshengu, plus Women’s Under 17 National Team goalkeeper Katlego Moletsane (High Performance Centre, Tshwane).

Ngubane, who netted the equaliser in South Africa’s 1-all draw with Zimbabwe in an international friendly played in Daveyton near Johannesburg on Tuesday, 16 October 2012, has proved her worth with a high work rate and goal-scoring keenness during her two caps as a second half substitute over the past week.

She was drafted into the national team camp at the start of October, after being identified at the SASOL League National Championships held in Durban in July where she finished as the tournament’s top goal-scorer, having netted 11 goals for Durban Ladies.

“Banyana Banyana go to the CAF African Women Championship 2012 ranked 56th in the world and 4th in Africa with our world ranking having improved by five places after our matches played at the Olympics,” said Banyana Banyana head coach Joseph Mkhonza.

“SAFA and SASOL need to be thanked for their commitment in allowing the Banyana Banyana players to stay in camp for the entire October to prepare for the CAF African Women Championship 2012, and we hope that we can do South Africa proud and move a few further spots up the world rankings.”