Local women’s football teams still have a lot of ground to cover to reach the level of Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies FC.
Just like their men’s side, who have dominated the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and continental football, Sundowns Ladies have monopolised the national women’s league, officially known as the Hollywoodbets Super League.
Like their male counterparts, they too have earned their place among Africa’s top-rated clubs.
Banyana Ba Style, as the Pretoria outfit is known, have won every edition of the Super League since the elite structure was established six years ago.
Even the strongest sides in the domestic league have fallen short in their attempts to dethrone Sundowns, who are two-time African women’s club football champions.
From the University of the Western Cape (UWC) to the University of Pretoria (Tuks), and most recently JVW FC, all the challengers have had to settle for the runners-up spot.
It seems it is going to be a similar situation this campaign, even after the Super League was reformatted into two streams of eight teams each.
According to SAFA, which runs amateur and women’s football in the country, the concept was introduced to ease the logistical burden on clubs and, in turn, give teams a fair chance to compete, with fixtures taking place at one stadium during the same weekend.
Still, 𝑏𝑒𝑘𝑒 𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑘𝑒, Banyana Ba Style continue to dismantle their opponents, even when they are not at their best.
The impressive numbers on the log standings suggest that the team coached by club legend Godfrey Sapula is well on course for another record-extending Super League title.
Sundowns entered the second round of the ongoing domestic campaign unbeaten, having won all eight of their matches in the Super Era Stream. They have also chalked up all those victories without conceding a goal.
They made it eight out of eight with a 3-0 demolition of city rivals Tuks on 20 September during the league’s Amplified Festival at the Oscar Mpetha Stadium at the University of Limpopo’s Mankweng campus.
UWC head coach Thinasonke Mbuli is well placed to comment on Sundowns, having been part of one of the few sides to consistently challenge the Pretoria powerhouse.
UWC finished runners-up on three occasions, in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Tuks were silver medallists in 2020 and 2021, while JVW FC, founded by Banyana Banyana legend Janine van Wyk, finished second last season under her guidance.
UWC are grouped with Sundowns in the Super Era Stream, alongside Stellenbosch Ladies FC, Gauteng-based Tuks and TS Galaxy, Limpopo’s Copperbelt Ladies, Richmond Ladies from the Northern Cape and Diepkloof Ladies, who have been acquired by PSL club Marumo Gallants.
The other stream, Super Rise, features JVW, three universities — Fort Hare, UJ and TUT — Ramatlaohle Ladies and First Touch from Limpopo, Ezemvelo Women’s FC from KwaZulu-Natal and City Lads from Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape.
“Before we played in streams, I think we tried for three seasons pushing Sundowns. We were runners-up for three seasons in a row,” Mbuli recounted.
“We had a season where we beat them and drew some games.”
According to Mbuli, who also serves as a Banyana Banyana assistant coach, teams need depth in their squads to match Sundowns — something most clubs do not have.
“I think what Sundowns have is that depth, and not just depth but quality. And you can only do that if you have strong financial backing.”
UWC and Sundowns contribute the bulk of Banyana Banyana players, but it is the Pretoria outfit that boasts a particularly prominent and experienced roster.
Sundowns’ national team players who represented South Africa at this year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco in July and August included goalkeeper Andile Dlamini; defenders Bambanani Mbane, Lebohang Ramalepe, Karabo Dhlamini, Asanda Hadebe and Khutso Pila; and attackers Noxolo Cesane, Nonhlanhla Mthandi, Isabella Ludwig, Ronnel Donnelly and Nthabiseng Majiya.
Ramalepe, Mbane and Cesane joined Sundowns after spells abroad.
At WAFCON, UWC had five representatives in Fikile Magama, Sibulele Holweni, Lonathemba Mhlongo, Antonia Maponya and Zoe October.
What will it take to topple ‘Downs?
“So, until other teams invest as much as Mamelodi Sundowns are investing in women’s football, it will be a different story altogether,” Mbuli pointed out.
“But this doesn’t stop teams from pushing them now.
“As I said, for three seasons we really pushed them. You must find ways to work with what you have — the first eleven you put on match day, fight against theirs and see what happens.”
How the two streams work
The Super Era and Super Rise fixtures are organised in festival-style matchdays hosted across different provinces.
All eight teams from each stream must play 14 matches.
When SAFA unveiled the new format earlier this year, it stated that a “Championship Match” would determine the ultimate Hollywoodbets Super League champion.
No further details were given on how many teams will enter the playoffs.
What is confirmed, though, is that the league winners will pocket R2 million and gain automatic entry into the CAF Women’s Champions League qualifiers via the COSAFA Women’s Champions League tournament.
The runners-up in the Super League will receive R1 million.
Hollywoodbets also sponsors the end-of-season individual awards, with Player of the Season, Young Player of the Season, Coach of the Season and Top Goal Scorer each set to receive a R50,000 cash prize.
At every festival, each Player of the Match receives a R2,000 cash incentive. – news@mukurukuru.co.za
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