August 2: The day Banyana, Proteas laid the platform for women’s sport to explode in SA.
At 2-2, after Banyana Banyana had conceded yet another goal at the Fifa World Cup from a corner, I satirically tweeted ‘Madiba, step in there ...’
I mean, the great Nelson Mandela should have enough pull with the “Man upstairs” to provide Banyana with just that little bit of luck against Italy that has eluded them during their first two matches against Sweden and Argentina.
Sport can be cruel at the best of times, but these girls didn’t deserve to be on a flight from Wellington, New Zealand to Johannesburg via Sydney on Wednesday night. They have played their hearts out with skill and panache, while also showing that structure which had helped them become the best team in Africa.
But they found themselves fighting for their tournament lives because their opponents are a foot or two taller than they are. Sweden were lucky to have a couple of beanpoles in the team, which Banyana did well to contain at first. However, Sweden eventually made them pay when the eight or ninth corner attempt found the back of the net.
After chucking away a 2-0 against Argentina to draw 2-2, it looked like the writing was on the wall when the Banyana defence and goalkeeper Kaylin Swart again failed to deal with a corner. At 2-2, their plane was fuelling up on the runway.
Back on home soil, in Cape Town, the Proteas were widely written off ahead of their Netball World Cup match against one of the tournament favourites, New Zealand.
The format of this tournament is pretty brutal and one slip-up may already be enough to deny the Proteas a place in a semi-finals, which they achieved at the 2019 tournament in Liverpool, England.A heavy defeat to Jamaica had the Proteas on the back foot, despite good wins over Wales, Trinidad and Tobago and Sri Lanka.
Beating New Zealand was seen as a long shot, especially because our girls haven’t tasted victory over the Kiwis since, well, 1995. 28 years ... chief, I was in Standard 5! -that’s Grade 7 for you born frees.
And for the longest time in the match, it looked like the Proteas didn’t wan’t to seize the moment. New Zealand looked rattled by the hostile crowd and the aggressive marking of the Proteas, but the South Africans just couldn’t convert mistakes into points. Unforced errors were killing them.
It was the second time Banyana and the Proteas were in action on the same day within the space of a few days. Friday saw the soccer crew draw with Argentina and the netball bunch starting off the tournament in fine style with their demolition of Wales.
At the time I thought it was one of the best days in the history of women’s sport in this country. Little did I know Wednesday, August 2 would not only eclipse that, but probably change the face of sport in this country forever ... and, definitely, for the better.
Did Madiba come through, though? The Madiba magic?”
Was it the magic behind Swart’s amazing save to deny Italy the winner before Thembi Kgatlana combined yet again with the silent of assassin Hildah Magaia to send us all flying off our coaches in celebration?
Was it that magic that pushed two veteran defenders in the Proteas side - Phumza Maweni, 38, and Karla Pretorius, 33, - to compete like a bunch of angry teenagers, before someone who wasn’t even born in 1995, Nichole Taljaard, netted a mid-range effort to force a draw?
Nope, it was not. It was just sheer determination and a lifetime of hard work. But most of all, it’s the resilience of the South African women’s spirit.
On Wednesday, August 2 we celebrated that spirit over the length and breadth of this country. The headlines reflected it on Wednesday and it will continue to do so throughout this week.
These two performances also come off the back of the Proteas Women’s cricket team making it to the final of the T20 World Cup on home soil in February.
Women are still grossly under-paid in this country in all spheres of life, but none so than in sport. It’s actually ridiculous in some cases.
I’m not climbing on my soapbox to demand equal pay for everyone, but I’m telling you that Wednesday’s thrilling efforts by our women should be seen in the context of the resources they enjoy compared to male counterparts.
It’s why Banyana went into this tournament with specific demands. They know their worth and they showed their worth. It’s time to show them the money, Safa!
Women’s sport has the potential to blow up in this country after Wednesday, because we have the heroes and the role models. With proper backing, the sky's the limit.
Just go and look at all the young, excited faces at the Netball World Cup games featuring South Africa. My colleagues covering the event say they have never been in such an electric atmosphere.
Hopefully someone sees the potential value and starts to heavily invest in women’s sport in the country. There’s a lot more talent out there just waiting to be scooped up.
Wednesday, August 2 should be remembered as one of the great days in South African sport, not just women’s sport. I’m sure Madiba was here, he would ‘step in’ and agree.
I’ve got the feeling it’s not going to be the last special day for women’s sport in this country either.
@JohnGoliath82