South African women competing in top level sport have over the last five decades, been on the rise and fans are celebrating their rise and they have collectively gained traction and in this arena since the 1990s when the first national women's soccer team was formed.
Subsequently, ladies across South Africa have taken their rightful place in the sporting arena and won many medals for themselves and their country.
Our ladies soccer, cricket, rugby, netball and hockey teams are growing in their stature and ability to compete internationally. Some notable individuals but not limited to are; Nonkululeko Mlaba – Protea’s spinner, Trisha Chetty – Protea wicketkeeper, Desiree Ellis, Janine van Wyk & Noko Matlou - football, Zola Budd – long distance running, Caster Semenya – middle distance runner, Karla Pretorius – Netball, Dane van Niekerk – cricket, Tsholofelo Thipe, Janice Josephs & Sunette Viljoen – athletics, Miné de Klerk – discus throw, Bridgitte Hartley – sprint canoeing, Julia Vincent – diving, Kgothatso Montjane – Paralympian tennis, Tatjana Schoenmaker and Lara van Niekerk – swimming.
Over the last 60 years, women have consistently been climbing the ladder of sporting success and gaining recognition. One ball, one step, one strop, one jump, one competition at a time. These ladies are setting the stage for future ladies to compete at top level with the aim to take the sporting arena by storm and where possible, to secure a spot in sporting history. The challenges women face in the sporting community have only served to make each victory that much sweeter, enabling more women to forge their athletic dreams and success.
"Eighty percent of the people who follow me on social media now were not following me before the tournament. Now they know I exist because we were on a bigger platform to showcase our talent." — South African goalkeeper Andile Dlamini
In Women's Month, Studio 88 celebrates the many women who have sacrificed much and through hard work, have beaten the odds to rise to the top of their sporting careers, and in so doing, taken an entire nation with them!
Soccer
South Africa's national women's soccer team, popularly known as Banyana Banyana - meaning 'the girls' had the nation on their feet as they competed in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations.
Playing on Moroccan soil in a stadium packed to capacity only supercharged the atmosphere as the stands erupted in elated cheers when Banyana Banyana scored their way to victory, taking their rightful place to compete in the upcoming Women's World Cup 2023. The win is of such significance that President Cyril Ramaphosa called for an increase in prize money for the South African female soccer stars, including matching salaries to their male counterparts, better known as Bafana Bafana.
Rugby
The Women's South African Rugby team, also known as the Springbok Women, has officially beaten the odds, and made it to the Rugby World Cup Sevens Tournament in Cape Town, taking place from the 9th through to the 11th of September 2022.
The road to victory was not an easy one for these lady champions, and they faced the daunting task of competing against some of the best teams in women's rugby, but in true South African tenacity, they laid claim to victory.
Judo
Judo was first introduced into South Africa in 1945 by World War II soldiers. An immigrant from Britain named Alec Butcher was among the pioneers alongside Jack Robinson for Jujitsu.
Judo was officially established as a national sport in 1955 through the formation of the South African Amateur Judo Association (SAAJA). Now, 67 years after Judo was first established as a sport, we've hit gold! The culmination of hard work, sweat, blood and tears saw a South African woman take gold for herself and her country!
Swimming
The first South African medal for swimming was awarded to a woman in 1928 for a 100m freestyle relay.
In 1996 a South African woman named Penny Haynes set a new world record for the 100m breaststroke, achieving a time of 1:07.46, beating the previous world record by 13 one-hundredths of a second. Twenty-six years later, South Africa is proud to have won 2 gold medals at the Common Wealth Games in the women's swimming category, proving just how far females have come in what was once considered a man's world!
With so many women taking their rightful place in society as formidable sports competitors, Studio 88 is proud to acknowledge them and their achievements - wishing them many more victories in the name of sisterhood!
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