Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis says it will be important for the team to win their final Three Nations match against Zambia on Tuesday as they continue preparations for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
Banyana started the tournament on a high, beating neighbours Botswana 3–2 at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium on Wednesday. It was a patchy display, though, as they went into the break 3–1 up, only to concede another goal in the second half, making for a nervy finish.
Ellis knows that mistakes are part and parcel of football, and that’s why she won’t be hard on the players if they make errors at this stage of the build-up to WAFCON. Banyana will need to produce a sterling campaign in Morocco, where they will head as defending champions.
And that is how things end at Lucas Moripe Stadium #LiveTheImpossible @SABC_Sport pic.twitter.com/pPlLcmTG3i
— Banyana_Banyana (@Banyana_Banyana) May 28, 2025
“Look, we don’t have many camps where we can look at a lot of players, so this is the big game that we’ve had this year,” Ellis said.
“If players can withstand the pressure here, I’m sure they can withstand WAFCON. If they have a bad game, it doesn’t mean they are out of the equation just yet.
“They’re not going to get everything right, but as long as they understand what we’re trying to do, that’s important. We need to see something from them.
“We still have time to work on certain things in the pre-WAFCON camp. So, we don’t discard someone after one bad day — anyone can have a bad day.”
Ellis is aware that Zambia, who qualified for the last Olympic Games, will be tough opposition, which is why she wants her team to be at their best throughout.
“We need to be better at the back — more organised, better communication, better positioning,” she said.
“We also need to be more composed on the ball and offer better passing options. It’s going to be key not to give the ball away so easily.
“Sometimes we’re not even under pressure, but we still give the ball away cheaply. If you look at the second goal against Botswana, we should have gone left, but instead we played into traffic.
“One minute later, the ball was in the back of our net. We have to be better in those moments. We need to make the right decisions.”
Ellis has several top players available for selection, including overseas-based forward Jermaine Seoposenwe and captain Refiloe Jane, who recently returned from injury. However, the coach is keen to see different combinations, which is why she aims to give everyone an opportunity.
“We’re looking at playing other teams and testing different combinations,” she said.
“We’ll take a strong squad to WAFCON, so we need a lot of versatility. I see people saying someone is not a natural right or left winger, but we’re looking at creating options.
“Lebohang Ramalepe sometimes plays very high up for Mamelodi Sundowns, so bringing her on as a winger is nothing new.”
