Hlalele backs Banyana Banyana to repeat 2022 triumph against Morocco

Gloria “Sweet 16” Hlalele believes Banyana Banyana can draw on their recent history when they face hosts Morocco in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in Rabat on Saturday.

South Africa defeated Morocco in Rabat in 2022 to win Wafcon, and Hlalele says the similarities between the two matches provide reason for optimism as the defending champions attempt to reach the next stage of the competition.

“We beat Morocco in Rabat in 2022 to win Wafcon, and they were the hosts,” she said. “They are the hosts even now, and we are meeting them on Saturday, so lightning must strike the same place twice. Banyana Banyana just need to play their usual entertaining football.”

Hlalele, who made her breakthrough in local football at the age of 16, said Banyana Banyana would need to approach the quarter-final as a collective rather than rely on individual performances.

Her own emergence came at a time when women playing football faced suspicion, making her one of the early figures in the development of the women’s game in South Africa. The Tembisa-born former player is regarded as a pioneer and trailblazer after competing in men’s local football during the 1980s.

She also helped establish Banyana Banyana in 1993, and has continued to follow the national team closely. While she remains confident in their ability, Hlalele admitted that their performances have caused concern.

“They seem to be struggling, and you get nervous when watching them play, and that is not what one wants to see, especially when you know their capabilities.

“I give them 100% in their work rate; [and] you need more white players because of their high work rate remember even in the PSL, we had the likes of Jingles Perreira, Andy Karajinsky and Phillip Venter, who worked very hard.”

Hlalele’s assessment combines encouragement with a warning that Banyana Banyana must recover the cohesion and confidence associated with their previous success against Morocco.

The match will take place in Rabat, where the sides met in the 2022 Wafcon final. South Africa’s victory in that tournament came against Morocco on home soil, and the hosts will again have the advantage of playing in front of their supporters on Saturday.

For Hlalele, that shared setting makes the upcoming quarter-final especially significant. She believes the previous result should serve not merely as a reminder of what Banyana Banyana achieved, but as evidence that they can overcome Morocco in Rabat once more.

Her message to the defending champions is straightforward: maintain their unity, rediscover their entertaining approach and reproduce the determination that carried them to the title four years ago.