Goalie Swart ready to keep it clean for Banyana in Wafcon defence

Banyana Banyana are set to embark on another historic journey as they prepare to defend their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title in Morocco. 

With just days to go before their opening fixture, Desiree Ellis’s side will be looking to build on a remarkable run of recent success. Having claimed their first-ever WAFCON title in 2022 — beating hosts Morocco 2-1 in the final — Banyana have transformed into one of the continent’s most formidable teams. 

That historic triumph was followed by another milestone in 2023, when they became the first South African senior national side, men or women, to reach the last 16 of a Fifa World Cup. They bowed out after a hard-fought 2–0 defeat to The Netherlands at the 2023 Women’s World Cup hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

Their return to Morocco for this year’s continental showpiece presents another chance to add to their growing legacy. They will begin their title defence against Ghana next Monday, a match-up that marks the start of what promises to be another compelling campaign.

Despite their preparations being overshadowed by lingering pay disputes, the quality and experience in the squad will once again see them as one of the favourites in the tournament.

Recent friendly matches against Botswana and Zambia have offered coach Ellis the opportunity to fine-tune her tactics and test the depth of her squad. The positive outcomes from those matches should offer some confidence ahead of the tournament.

One of the key figures in the squad is experienced goalkeeper Kaylin Swart, who was part of both the 2022 WAFCON and 2023 World Cup campaigns. 

She believes the team’s return to familiar North African territory will work in their favor and the pressure of being defending champions will not get to them.

“Pressure is a privilege, and when our backs are against the wall, that is when we perform,” Swart said, ahead of the start of the tournament.

“There is a little bit of pressure being champions because the title holds a lot of weight. But I know once we start the tournament, that pressure will not get to us.

“It’s such great memories in Morocco. We were in Rabat in 2022, and now we’re in Casablanca, but yeah, the feeling is the same. We’re very excited to be here because it’s familiar territory for us, and hopefully all that excitement can come back from 2022, and hopefully we can do it again.

“Now we have got to obviously write a new book, and there’s a lot more to be done, but if we can repeat history, that would be great. It’s not going to be easy, but yes, 2024 (2025) might just be a really good chapter for us,” she added.

Swart is expected to play a central role once again, both on the field and as a senior voice in the squad. Her experience will be vital as the South Africa’s senior women’s national team looks to navigate what will be yet another crucial time in their international careers.

“It’s so crazy to think that we are just a couple of days away from kick-off, but we are excited,” she continued.

“We just need to unite as players so that when we play our first match, we know exactly what we need to do, and obviously we want the positive result, which is a win,” she concluded.