On July 31, 2019, South Africa’s national women’s football team, Banyana Banyana, achieved a historic 17-0 victory over the Comoros Islands in their opening match of the COSAFA Women’s Championship at Wolfson Stadium in Port Elizabeth.

This result not only set a new record for the largest margin of victory in the tournament’s history – surpassing Zimbabwe’s 15-0 win over Lesotho in 2002 – but also marked South Africa’s biggest win ever in international competition.

Despite resting several key players and competing without many overseas-based stars, Banyana Banyana dominated the match. Captain Refiloe Jane led the charge with four goals, while Amanda Mthandi added a hat-trick. Other contributors included Bambanani Mbane and Hildah Magaia, who each scored twice, as well as Tiisetso Makhubela, Ode Fulutudilu, Mamello Makhabane, Busisiwe Ndimeni, Kholosa Biyana, and an own goal from Comoros defender Hanifa Melanie.

The match was – as the score line suggests – a one-sided affair, with South Africa taking a commanding 6-0 lead by half time. The second half saw continued dominance, with all nine goals coming from different players. The result was a clear statement of South Africa’s strength in women’s football and a testament to the depth of talent within the team.

“We didn’t underestimate our opponents. We didn’t know what to expect from them since we played them in 2014, and we just kept doing what we normally do in training sessions before the game and focus on ourselves,” said Jane.

“I didn’t expect to score so many goals, but it also showed how we were playing for one another. If we couldn’t score the goal we passed to a teammate who was in a better position and it showed that we had [nine] different goal-scorers [plus an own goal].”

This victory was not only a significant achievement for Banyana Banyana but also highlighted their dominance of women’s football in Southern Africa. The team’s performance set a new benchmark for the COSAFA Women’s Championship and underscored South Africa’s commitment to developing and promoting women’s football.

Banyana went on to win the tournament, defeating Zimbabwe 1-0 in the final, to secure the sixth of their seven COSAFA titles to date.