Regirl Ngobeni, Thinasonke Muli, Amogelang Motau, Mandla Gagayi, Bongeka Gamede, Noxolo Cesane and Sibulele Holweni pictured at the Banyana stars’ welcoming ceremony at UWC, on Tuesday.
Former Cape Town Roses goal-poacher Noxolo Cesane, 21, is an African champion.
The former Fezeka High School pupil is part of a special group of Banyana Banyana players who brought home the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) trophy from Morocco last week.
The 2022 Banyana team, under coach Desiree Ellis's mentorship, will go down history books as this country's first women's senior national team to win the continent's biggest prize. They have been losing finalists five times before... and that achievement alone qualifies them to be the "flagship" side, when it comes to our football.
They won all their six matches in this year’s tournament and Cesane was one of the so-called unknown players going to Morocco.
She and her twin sister Sinoxolo, also a former junior international player, are not different from many other footballers. They all started off playing in the dusty streets of their hoods. In Noxolo’s case, the sandy streets of Gugulethu.
She was still a child when she, and many others, were spotted by sharp-eyed Cape Town Roses FC coach, Xolile Madikane. He convinced them to play football, rather than netball. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.
She’s now an important member of the Banyana team that won this year’s WAFCON, after beating hosts Morocco 2-1 in the final.
She now plays her club football for UWC and the university honoured her and four of her teammates – Regirl Ngobeni, Sibulele Holweni, Amogelang Motau and Bongeka Gamede – on Tuesday August 1.
Banyana assistant coach, and UWC head coach Thinasonke Mbuli was also honoured on the day.
Cesane said the difference between Banyana Banyana and other teams in the tournament was the spirit in the camp.
“In terms of quality, all the teams were on the same level. The mistake other teams made was to target our overseas-based players like captain Refileo Jane and Thembi Kgatlana. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it gave us ‘lesser-known’ players a chance to exploit the situation,” she said.
“So, I can safely say that the year 2022 has been a dream come true for me. As a child, my dream and hope was to one day play for Banyana Banyana. The road has been tough, from Cape Town Roses to the national under-17 and under-20 sides. That is why I was over the moon when I was selected to represent the country in Morocco.”
She said self-confidence and respect for others are among the things that keep her going. “It is important to take advice from others, parents, teachers and other members of the community. We also need to respect our supporters,” she said.
Her teammate Holweni concurred. She also noted that 2022 has been a year of ups and downs for Banyana. “Having said that, it has been amazing and we had to stay positive. I remember when I was selected to play at the WAFCON, I was so excited I called my mom straight away. The victory was personal to most of us. The likes of (defender) Janine van Wyk have been in the final many times before but never won the tournament. So, we were not going to let that happen again.
“On top of that, there are many things happening in our country right now, like load shedding and some people don’t have clean water. So we saw it as our duty to put smiles on South African’s faces.”
Coach Mbuli said it was not really surprising that UWC consistently produced some of the country’s best women footballers.
“Our recruitment strategy has always been on point. We are able to bring in players with the right mentality and attitude. That’s why it’s easier for them to succeed. They take full advantage of the opportunities provided to them,” she said.
UWC head of sport Mandla Gagayi shared the same sentiments. “What you see today is a culmination of what’s been happening behind the scenes. Some people thought we were trying to be politically correct by doing something good in terms of sport. Through sport, many of these youngsters get bursaries to study at UWC. Look at the current Banyana squad, five players are current UWC players, six are our former players. We treat these players as human beings, not just as players because we understand that not everyone can excel academically and get a degree, so they should be able to pursue another career option,” he said.