Banyana Banyana, the national women’s senior football team, has received congratulations from National Council of Provinces Chairperson Amos Masondo and Speaker of the National Assembly Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula for winning the Women’s African Cup of Nations hosted in Morocco.
In a thrilling final hosted at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, the squad prevailed 2-1 over the hosts.
We applaud the senior women’s soccer team for raising the South African flag high, advancing our nation-building efforts, igniting national aspirations, and fostering social harmony.
In the midst of the current economic difficulties and social hardships, the Banyana Banyana win, which propelled the country into the dizzy heights of continental football and World Cup qualification, serves as a crucial upliftment.
“Banyana Banyana have brought great honour to the nation, and their victory in this competition has made a significant contribution to the need for women’s sports to be granted equal importance, recognition, and resources to close the gender gap in participation in sports.
Since the WAFCON’s beginning in 1991, the squad has reached the competition’s final hurdle six times, according to a statement from the two presiding officers.
The South African Football Association (SAFA) was urged by the presiding officers to make sure that the salaries of Banyana Banyana and their male counterparts are equal.
The Presiding Officers have taken note with worry of the fact that, despite continuously making it into all important CAF (Confederation of African Football) and FIFA competitions over the past few years, Banyana Banyana players were still receiving lower salaries than their male counterparts.
The South African Football Association (SAFA) and other sponsors were urged to take all necessary steps to address the pay and recognition gap for women in soccer, according to the statement.
A “revenue sharing method to bring the remuneration structures and bonus mechanism for all participants in their competitions, and the sports in general, on par,” according to the presiding officers, was also suggested.
“[The presiding officers] also called on corporations to review their funding strategies and methods by making investments that take into account the growth and participation of women in sports.
They asked patriotic corporates to join forces and help undermine patriarchy by closing the gap in the game on a national and domestic league level, according to the statement.