Mbane urges ‘clinical’ Banyana Banyana as Wafcon title defence looms in Morocco

Banyana Banyana defender Bambanani “Juice” Mbane says South Africa have spent their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations build‐up working intensively on turning chances into goals as they prepare to defend their continental crown in Morocco.

South Africa, who claimed their first and only Wafcon title in Morocco in 2022, return to the same country targeting a second championship when this year’s tournament runs from Sunday to 16 August. They have been drawn in Group B alongside Tanzania, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, with all their group matches to be played at Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca.

Mbane, a centurion for Banyana and one of the squad’s most experienced figures, admitted the team had identified finishing as a clear weakness in recent performances.

“We’ve been struggling to score goals and we’ve been working hard to rectify that,” she said.

“We know that at Wafcon you need to be clinical because it’s difficult to create more chances … you may just need two chances to win a game, so we must make sure that we are clinical. The coaching staff have been emphasising that we need to take our chances.”

Lessons from Japan win

Banyana finished a disappointing fourth at the last edition of Wafcon, also staged in Morocco last year, falling short of the standards they set in their title‐winning campaign two years earlier.

Despite that setback, Mbane believes recent results – in particular a 1-0 friendly victory over Japan, ranked fifth in the world, in Osaka last month – show that South Africa are capable of competing with elite opposition and going deep into the tournament.

“Honestly, we didn’t do well at the last Wafcon and we know that,” she said.

“Beating Japan in our last game proved that we are capable of winning big games, especially because we lost the first game but managed to regroup ourselves. We are prepared and we know what’s expected of us.”

Senior core backing new generation

At 36, Mbane is the oldest member of a squad that includes a number of emerging players, among them 18-year-old defender Zoe October, who is the youngest in the group.

Mbane praised the attitude of the new generation and said the senior core had made a point of guiding them through what it means to play for Banyana Banyana at a major tournament.

“We’ve met with the younger players to tell them what happens at Banyana and now they are aware of what’s expected of them. We are not putting them under pressure, but we are making them understand what they must do to help the team,” she explained.

“I am so happy that the younger players are willing to work … that makes our job as senior players very easy.”

South Africa will begin their Group B campaign in Casablanca looking to turn that blend of experience and youth, plus their renewed focus on ruthless finishing, into another sustained challenge for the Wafcon trophy.