President Cyril Ramaphosa has cheered on Banyana Banyana after the team met with him at the Union Buildings on Wednesday 27 July.
Proudly carrying the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations trophy the team was warmly greeted by the team in the Presidency. Ramaphosa said: “Today our hearts are filled with pride. They are bursting at the seams with a great deal of joy.”
“You promised that you would bring the cup, and it is here, where it belongs….When you took to the pitch on Saturday night in Rabat, we as South Africans – 60 million of us – were with you in spirit. We watched you, like gladiators, go to war. The good news of your win was like rain falling on dry, hard ground. You have, through your victory, lifted the hearts of the nation.”
He also reiterated the plans to ensure equal pay for the women’s and men’s national soccer teams. Ramaphosa said: “You deserve equal pay for equal work that you do…I’ve been told that you get paid 10 times less than your male counterparts, and that needs to come to an end.”
We continue to celebrate our WAFCON Champions 🏆🥇at the Union Buildings. #LiveTheImpossible #BanyanaBanyana pic.twitter.com/PGvbibeROb
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) July 27, 2022
Today our hearts are bursting with pride.
You promised you would bring the cup home, and you have brought it home.
#BanyanaBanyana https://t.co/c1GjxYcpQp— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) July 27, 2022
He added: “You should be given what you deserve. Danny Jordaan (SAFA president), we cannot continue supporting the notion that when Bafana Bafana play, they get much more than what Banyana Banyana gets. It must come to an end. We need to give added remuneration to these young women who have made our country so proud. We must eliminate the whole process of unequal pay out of our system. When men and women do equal work, the remuneration must be the same.”
“It is unjust, and we cannot continue treating the women in our country in an unjust, unfair way,” said Ramaphosa.
Meanwhile, Four Banyana Banyana players have been included in CAF’s 2022 WAFCON Best 11.
In the elite list of African women footballers named by CAF, accolades included Goalkeeper of the Tournament and co-captain for Andile Dlamini, defender Bambanani Mbane, co-captain Refiloe Jane and striker Jermaine Seoposenwe.
