South Africa defender Lebogang Ramalepe says Banyana Banyana still have the hunger to succeed despite their disappointing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) campaign.
Banyana Banyana’s hopes of retaining the continental title ended on Saturday when they were beaten 2-1 by hosts Morocco in the quarter-finals at Rabat’s Moulay El Hassan Stadium. The result also secured Morocco’s qualification for the World Cup.
South Africa must now recover quickly for a crucial play-off against either Malawi or Ghana in Casablanca on Thursday. Victory would earn them one of the two CAF places in the intercontinental play-offs and keep alive their hopes of qualifying for next year’s World Cup in Brazil.
The team’s performances in Morocco have led to questions over whether a squad that has already achieved significant success has lost some of its motivation. Sixteen of the 26 players selected for this tournament were part of the Banyana Banyana side that won the Wafcon in Morocco for the first time in 2022.
Most of those players also featured in the historic team that reached the knockout stage of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023, marking the first time South Africa had progressed beyond the group phase at the global tournament.
That recent success has prompted suggestions that the squad may need to be reshaped if Banyana Banyana are to return to their previous standards. Ramalepe, who has been part of the national team for several years, rejected the idea that the players are no longer driven to win.
“It’s not like we are not hungry. Football has changed; a lot of teams have improved. I think there are a lot of teams that are matching our level, and others have surpassed us,” Ramalepe said.
South Africa struggled to convince throughout the tournament. They lost their opening group game 2-1 against Tanzania, who were regarded as underdogs, before drawing 2-2 with Ivory Coast in their second match.
A 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso in their final pool game was enough to take them into the quarter-finals, but they were unable to overcome Morocco after a difficult contest.
Ramalepe, 34, believes the team can still respond positively and reach the World Cup through the intercontinental route. She said the players must now show resilience rather than dwell on their exit from the Wafcon.
“What is required now is mental toughness. Not all is lost; we still have a chance, so we believe we can still go to the World Cup.”
South Africa’s next match will therefore carry the weight of salvaging their World Cup campaign after their early struggles in Morocco and the quarter-final defeat by the hosts.
