Four Cape Town rising women football stars have been selected to take part in a training camp of Banyana Banyana as the team is preparing for the upcoming COSAFA Cup next month.
University of the Western Cape goalkeeper Kaydee Windwogel, her fellow teammates Bongeka Gamede (defender) Sibulele Holweni (midfielder) as well as Spurs Women’s Football Club goal-minder Jessica Williams, were named in the 27-member team that will prepare for the senior national women team’s first return to action since football activities were halted due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The 2020 COSAFA Cup tournament was scheduled to take place in August but was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak that affected all events in the football calendar. It is set to take place from 3-14 November in Nelson Mandela Bay. The new date, according to a statement issued by SAFA, came after the South African government announced Level 1 regulations in which all sporting activities are permitted on condition that all safety measures are adhered to, to prevent the spread of the virus.
Windwogel’s first call-up to the senior national team is a graduation to another level as she has played for both the national Under 17 and Under 20 teams, just like Holweni, who is the current captain of the latter. Gamede and Williams have been part of the senior national set-up for some time, with the former having formed part of the Banyana team which played in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France last year.
In announcing the squad, Cape Town’s Banyana Banyana head coach, Desiree Ellis, said: “We last got together in March, so we will get an opportunity to look at players and give others an opportunity as well. The camp will also allow us to analyse which players raise their hands for the final selection.’’
She said for her team to be the number one on the African continent, regional tournaments were the starting point. As a result, Ellis has brought in a number of players comprising experience and a number of young and promising stars.
The team is scheduled to assemble in Johannesburg on 20 October and the camp will run until 26 October. The final squad will then depart for Port Elizabeth on 27 October to begin preparations for the tournament, which Banyana Banyana have won the past three editions.
