The University of the Western Cape (UWC) women’s football coach, Thinasonke Mbuli, has praised her student-athletes for their remarkable ability to balance academic and sporting careers. Their historic victory at the CAF Women’s Champions League qualifiers, where they emerged as champions of the COSAFA region, marks a significant milestone in women’s football on the continent.
UWC’s football team secured their place in this year’s CAF Women’s Champions League for the first time by defeating Botswana’s Gaborone United in a thrilling 9-8 penalty shootout. The match, held in Malawi on Saturday, that ended in a 1-1 draw, with the UWC victory earning them a spot alongside defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies FC.
This achievement marks the first time a university team from Africa has reached this level of competition. It is a testament to UWC’s years of deliberate investment in developing women’s football in South Africa. The triumph also comes shortly after the UWC team claimed their third Varsity Football Women’s trophy – two in successive years – on August 9.
Mbuli, who also serves as the assistant coach of the national senior women’s team, Banyana Banyana, lauded her players for their exceptional ability to manage the demands of both academics and football at an international level. She emphasised that the student-athletes were not only talented footballers but also dedicated students with bright futures ahead.
“It’s important to remember that these are students. We don’t have a professional football league for women in South Africa. Ahead of this final, they had to study, write exams, and sometimes miss or arrive late to team meetings because they had online classes. It takes a lot to be a student-athlete at this level,” Mbuli said.
She added, “I always feel blessed to coach such talented athletes. When it’s time to study, they study; when it’s time to play football, they give it their all. In September, some of these players will graduate from UWC. They are not just good footballers; they are exceptional students.”
Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student Development and Support, Professor Matete Madiba, also praised the team for demonstrating grit to showcase their talents.
“Before you left, we thanked you for giving UWC a Woman’s Day gift for the game and the win you secured on 9 August. As the University, we received and cherished the gift. Now you have given the whole of South Africa a women’s month gift as the first university in Africa to participate at this level, to become the 2024 COSAFA Qualifier. You are our heroes. We celebrate you!
“As UWC, you are assisting us to demonstrate what it means to work with talent, to nurture and grow it, and to allow it to blossom. You are helping us to create a solid case about what it means not to squander talent, what it means not to be wasteful of talent. And we are here to say to South Africa, here is national talent, a national treasure!
“As stars who have performed at this level, you have shown us what grit is, we know and have seen you with this string of wins you have secured, it was not luck, it was hard work, grit, strategy, and managing team dynamics to ensure you deliver success. For the culture of success that we are creating at UWC, you are leading, going before us and saying to all of us, it is possible for a university to talk and walk success, to create a lifestyle out of success, to mainstream success in all we do. Thank you. We draw inspiration from you!”
While this marks UWC’s debut in the CAF Women’s Champions League, the international stage is familiar for Mbuli and several players. Mbuli, who works closely with Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis, was part of the technical team that led South Africa to its first TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title in Morocco two years ago. Several UWC players have also been involved in the national team setup.
