Youthful players rewarded with Banyana Banyana call-ups

Banyana Banyana will face Lesotho at the University of Johannesburg Soweto Campus in international friendly matches on 22 and 25 February, with a squad featuring promising young talents.

In the last two years, in South African football, an increasing number of young footballers, both male and female, have been given opportunities to showcase their skills at club and international levels

The willingness of coaches to trust younger players to rise to the challenges has brought with it a sense of optimism and excitement about the futures of Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana, the nation’s senior national teams.

Among the promising players that have caught the eye is Katlego Malebana, a top talent from Mamelodi Sundowns, who was loaned to Tuks part-way through the 2024 Hollywoodbets Super League. She excelled and was included as a member of the SuperSport Schools Class of 2024 and also earned the title of GSport4girls School Sport Star of the Year.

Malebana, who rose through the ranks at Sundowns, is one of the brightest talents to have come through the Gauteng Women’s Development League (GWDL), which was established in 2023.

The GWDL continues to thrive and, in 2025, it enters its third season. Mondli Dube, an administrator with both the South African Football Association (Safa) and GWDL, told SuperSport Schools Plus that there are plans to broaden the league by introducing additional age groups – u13, u15, and u17.

In 2024, the GWDL had two age categories, u14 and u16. Malebana’s selection for the national team demonstrates the positive impact of development initiatives and local leagues, like the GWDL, which are dedicated to advancing women’s football.

In a remarkable 2024, she also led the South African team to victory in the u15 CAF African Schools Football Tournament in Zanzibar.

She concluded 2024 on a triumphant note, winning the inaugural IberCup South Africa with Tuks after a decisive 5-1 win from the spot against JVW Girls Football Development, following a 1-1 draw in regular time.

As Malebana continues her successful trajectory and development, her latest achievement is a call-up to the South African national team by the Banyana Banyana coach, Dr. Desiree Ellis.

Malebana is among a group of players who participated in the u17 Cosafa Championship last December, which has been summoned to the senior national side.

The group also includes Bonolo Mokoma. Recently JVW announced her promotion from their Sasol League team to the first team, along with Reitumetse Mosuoe and Mphelo Thorisho. All three players represented JVW in the Sasol League in 2024.

In a press statement, JVW said the promotion of the trio reflects the ongoing success of their player development programmes, with the three demonstrating outstanding growth and dedication.

“Their promotion reflects our dedication to nurturing homegrown talent and providing opportunities for players to step up and make an impact at the highest level,” JVW stated.

Other young players who have been called up to the national team include Tanna Hollis and Katleho Mohame, who are also from JVW, and Nobahle Mdelwa who has joined the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in the Hollywoodbets Super League. She joins her UJ team-mate, Adrielle Mibe, in the national set-up.

Another promising young talent, Khwezi Khoza, who, like the others, has represented South Africa at junior levels in Cosafa competitions, was also summoned by coach Ellis.

Ellis, who played 600 club games in her career, and 32 internationals, explained her decision to go with a youthful line-up for the two matches against Lesotho.

“We are always watching players and have been impressed with the group we have called in for these two matches,” she said. “As you see, some are from the Cosafa Championships played last year, some are currently part of the u17 national team and will have an opportunity to learn from the senior team while they prepare for their World Cup qualifiers.”

Another member of the young faction is 19-year-old Kesha Hendricks, who plays for the University of Fort Hare in the Hollywoodbets Super League. She made her debut for Banyana Bayana against Namibia at the 2024 Cosafa Championship, on 22 October last year.

Hendricks caught the eye when she scored a hat-trick in an impressive 8-1 win over The Seychelles, during which she showcased her skills and finishing to a wide audience

In response to her selection, Hendricks told the University of Fort Hare media team” “A national call-up means a lot to me because I am going to represent my country.”

Banyana Banyana Squad to face Lesotho. 

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Siya Pongco

A passionate reader and dedicated writer, Siya possesses three degrees from Rhodes University including a Postgraduate Diploma at Rhodes University. He also played amateur cricket and soccer, both during his university years. While honing his journalism skills at Grocott’s Mail in Makhanda, he developed a profound interest in the community’s response to crime. Additionally, he covered topics such as art/culture and student politics at Rhodes University in 2022. In his spare time, Siya can be found exploring galleries, dining at restaurants, indulging in literature, taking photographs or savouring his favourite dish, spaghetti.

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