Smiso Msomi
The vibrant fields of Loria Park Grounds in Knysna, Western Cape, echo with the sounds of competition as KwaZulu-Natal's Ezemvelo Women have made a commanding entrance into the Sasol National Championships, inspired by the achievements of their provincial counterparts, Lindelani Ladies.
The stakes are high, not just for the prize money of R200 000 for first place and R100 000 for the runners-up, but for the honour and pride of bringing home a championship title that has eluded their province for decades.
This year's tournament brings together nine teams from across the nation, each with fierce aspirations to earn a spot in the upcoming Hollywoodbets Super League.
Ezemvelo Women are eager to instil a sense of renewed hope in KwaZulu-Natal's women’s football after witnessing Lindelani Ladies’ valiant attempt at the title last year, where they fell just short against Fort Hare University in a thrilling final.
With the tournament now underway, Ezemvelo showcased their intent from the get-go. In their opening match, they faced off against Sophakama FC from the Eastern Cape, eager to exact some revenge for their provincial sisters’ earlier setbacks.
The match unfolded with Ezemvelo dominating early chances, yet it was only through remarkable goalkeeping from Sophakama that they remained scoreless until the 35th minute.
Amanda Mkhize finally broke the deadlock, scoring the opening goal, followed by another late strike by Londeka Simelane that secured a 2-0 victory for the Umlazi-based club.
Player of the Match, Mkhize, expressed her team's fervent desire to not only emulate Lindelani’s successful run to the finals but to surpass it with an actual victory at the Sasol Nationals. “We want to achieve something bigger than what Lindelani did by just winning the whole tournament, and I believe that our team has what it takes,” she stated confidently.
Ezemvelo’s head coach, Nkosingiphile Maphumulo, echoed that ambition, committed to restoring pride to KwaZulu-Natal's women’s football.
“At this point, it’s only a wish,” he admitted, “we’ll only find out if we can as we trot on in this journey and if we can eventually win it.” Maphumulo highlighted the significance of this tournament, underscoring the absence of a KZN champion since Sasol's sponsorship began, with the last titleholder hailing from the province in 2003.
“We do get to finals but we haven’t tasted gold in a while, so that would please me,” he added, galvanising his team and supporters alike with a spirited reminder of what is at stake.
In the other two fixtures of the day, Kovsies survived a late North West University surge and held on for a 3-2 win. Attacker midfielder Morongwe Ratabane shined brightest as the Free State-based side placed the first set of points in Group B.
The late kick-off saw Limpopo outfit Ramatlaohle come back twice to rescue a point against Super Strikers from Mpumalanga, with the game finishing 2-2 to draw the day to a close.