The post Hope for women’s football in Sarah Baartman region first appeared at Grocott’s Mail
Chris Totobela reports that the recent success of Banyana Banyana, South Africa’s national women’s football team, has reignited interest in women’s football across the country. However, the Sarah Baartman region lacks a women’s football league. Plans are underway to address this, as the region last had a league over a decade ago, which disbanded without explanation.
The South African Football Association (Safa) used to allocate R20,000 to each region for women’s football. Leading the revival in the Sarah Baartman region are Bonani Gora from Addo, Luyanda Sitwayi from Alicedale, Sithembele Cunge from Jeffrey’s Bay, and former Bay United midfielder Khayalethu “Cool” Ngangqu from Ndlambe Municipality. They encourage all Sarah Baartman women’s teams to start playing in their respective Local Football Associations (LFAs) to kickstart the process.
Bonani Gora explained to Grocott’s Mail that women’s football has been neglected for a long time, despite dedicated players. The initiative starts small at the LFA level due to the difficulty and cost of establishing a regional league. Sarah Baartman’s secretary, Bongani Jibiliza, expressed support for the revival efforts but did not specify the regional executive’s role. Similarly, Makana LFA is working to establish a women’s football league, with preparations at an advanced stage. They aim to start the league before the end of Women’s Month, giving clubs a full month to prepare their teams.
