Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies and Banyana Banyana’s Lebohang Ramalepe has joined an elite list of centurions in South African women’s football.
Jumaima, as she is commonly known by her peers, reached the milestone of 100 caps for her country when she started for the African Champions in the second leg fourth round of the 2024 Paris Olympic qualifier against Nigeria on Tuesday, 9 April 2024 at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.
She becomes the 11th player to make a century of appearances for the Sasol-sponsored.
The Limpopo-born Ramalepe is now level on 100 caps with Spain-based Leandra Smeda.
The defender is the latest player to achieve the feat, following on the footsteps of Mexico-based forward Jermaine Seoposenwe who clocked a century two months ago (February 2024) against Tanzania – this was in the third round of the Paris.
Ramalepe is the second player from Limpopo, after Noko Matlou to reach the milestone.
CentreCircle.online takes a look at the list of centurions:
While some are currently plying their trade overseas, some have retired and others are in the Hollywoodbets Super League – interestingly, all of them nurtured their talent in the Sasol League.
- Janine van Wyk
- Noko Matlou
- Nompulelelo Nyandeni
- Nothando Vilakazi
- Refiloe Jane
- Portia Modise
- Mamello Makhabane
- Amanda Dlamini
- Jermaine Seoposenwe
- Leandra Smeda
- Lebohang Ramalepe
Janine Van Wyk (185)
After an 18-year long career with Banyana Banyana, defender Van Wyk stands alone as the most capped player on the continent – female or male.
She broke an 11-year record previously held by Ahmed Hassan of Egypt to achieve the feat in December 2023 against Burkina Faso in a 2024 Paris Olympic Games qualifier.
The JVW co-founder and currently assistant coach at the club, has been to two Olympic Games (2012 and 2016). She also made history by being the first South African to captain Banyana Banyana in their maiden FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019 in France, and was part of the 2022 WAFCON-winning squad.
Noko Matlou (173)
Matlou made her debut in 2007 starting out as a striker before switching to defence in later years in the national team.
She is the closest to Van Wyk’s 185 caps.
The Spain-based player has been to the London 2016 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and added two FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament appearances in France in 2019 and in Australia and New Zealand in 2023.
Matlou won gold at the 2022 WAFCON in Morocco and was the first South African to be crowned CAF Woman Player of the Year in 2008, before Thembi Kgatlana followed in 2019.
Matlou has scored 64 goals for Banyana Banyana.
Nompumelelo Nyandeni (149)
Nyandeni is a midfield maestro who also plays as a forward. She is currently on the books of JVW in the Hollywoodbets Super League – whom she re-joined this season after spending 2023 at TS Galaxy Queens.
Nyandeni twice walked away with the Top Goal Scorer award in the Hollywoodbets Super League in back to back seasons (2021 & 2022).
Known as Mbuzi to her peers, the former Mpumalanga Detroit Ladies player was once registered by WFC Rossiyanka in Russia where she played UEFA Women’s Champions League football.
In 2011 Nyandeni met up with the likes of world footballing icons Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi when she was selected by FIFA as one of 11 international players to promote health issues among young people.
She was part of the Olympic Games in 2012 and 2016, but missed the World Cup tournaments in 2019 and 2023, as well as the 2022 WAFCON victory.
With just one cap missing to complete her 150, Mbuzi hasn’t given up hope of reaching the milestone, and become only one of three – Van Wyk and Matlou – to get to that golden figure.
Nothando Vilakazi: 137
Seven years ago, on 15 September 2017, Nothando Vilakazi celebrated her 100th cap for the Sasol-sponsored Banyana Banyana. The occasion was the COSAFA Women’s Championship held in Zimbabwe, and South Africa defeated Namibia, calling for a double celebration.
Vivo, as she is known in football circles, would go on to add 37 more appearances in the national team.
The left back is the currently the fourth-most capped player in the history of Banyana Banyana, but could soon lose the spot to captain Refiloe Jane who is just one short of matching Vilakazi – the latter hasn’t been called in the squad for quite some time.
In the Hollywoodbets Super League, Vivo runs out for TS Galaxy Queens, and has won gold for South Africa in the COSAFA Women’s Championship.
Like most of the long-serving players, she has been to two Olympic Games (London 2012 and Rio 2016), she has also featured in several CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Playing in South Africa’s first World Cup in 2019 in France, Vilakazi will go down in history as the first – and the only so far – Banyana Banyana player to be shown the red card. This was in the opening match against Spain.
Vilakazi’s international career started in the South African U20 Women’s National Team.
Refiloe Jane: 136
Current Banyana Banyana captain, Refiloe Jane, reached her 100th cap in February 2019 at the Cyprus Cup in Lanarca in a clash against Finland – at the time she was the vice-captain to the retired Janine van Wyk.
Incidentally, the Soweto-born midfield general made her debut in the same tournament in 2012 facing Northern Ireland.
She is one match shy of levelling the number of national team appearances with Nothando Vilakazi.
Plying her trade in Italy with Sassuolo Women, Jane represented South Africa at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympic Games, playing every minute in the latter tournament.
She would be called up again for the 2019 France and 2023 Australia and New Zealand FIFA Women’s World Cup football showpiece.
Jane wore the captain’s armband at the last World Cup and also when South Africa lifted the maiden CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in 2022.
She would only play two matches in Australia and New Zealand after suffering an injury against Argentina in the second game of the tournament, missing the other two fixtures as the African Champions went on to make history of qualifying for the Round of 16.
She scored the first of her 16 international goals against Botswana in 2012.
Portia Modise (retired – 124)
October 2012 saw Modise named in the South African squad for the 2012 African Women’s Championship, reaching her milestone 100th appearance during the tournament.
Bashin, as she is commonly called by football fans, played a key role in South Africa’s run to the final, where they were beaten by Equatorial Guinea.
In October 2014 Portia Modise became the first African player to reach the elusive 100-goal barrier in international football, when she scored her 99th and 100th goal in Banyana Banyana’s 5–1 victory against Algeria at the then CAF African Women’s Championship, now named the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
On 19 May 2015, she announced her retirement from international football, after playing 124 matches, scoring 101 in the process.
Modise made her debut in the senior national team in 2000.
Mamello Makhabane: 121
Midfielder Mamello Makhabane joined the elite group of players on 100 caps when she faced Madagascar in the 2019 COSAFA Women’s Championship on Monday, 5 August 2019 – this was in the third and final group stages fixture.
Makhabane made her debut in 2005 against Zimbabwe where she scored three goals in a 9-0 victory, and was named Player of the Match.
She thought her career was over when she failed to make the cut for the 2012 London Olympics due to an injury, but she fought her way back.
After spending several years with JVW, Makhabane is now wearing the colours of TS Galaxy Queens.
She has also played in a FIFA World Cup (2019 France), the 2016 Rio Olympics as well as several WAFCON tournaments – but has not featured for Banyana Banyana in recent times.
Amanda Dlamini (retired – 105)
11 July 2016
Dlamini earned her 100 caps in a high profile match – against the then number one ranked nation in the world, the USA.
This was in July 2016 when Banyana Banyana travelled to Chicago for an international friendly fixture.
With this feat, she became the fifth centurion after Van Wyk, Nyandeni, Matlou and Modise.
The retired Dlamini, who now works as a football pundit at Supersport, was introduced in the 60th minute, taking the place of Linda Motlhalo.
“As for my 100th appearance, I really tried to block everything out of my head before the match because I knew how important it was to first play then celebrate afterwards. I should thank all the people who showed appreciation for what I have done for the national team. So it is quite exciting to have finally made 100 caps,” she said at the time.
Going with the name Toki, she captained Banyana Banyana from 2011 to 2013, and wore the armband at South Africa’s first Olympic tournament in London in 2012.
Leandra Smeda: 100
In November 2019, Leandra Smeda joined the elite group of national team players who have made 100 appearances for their country.
She reached the milestone during international friendly match against Japan – which was to her last match in the national team.
The clash took place at the Kitakyushu Stadium in Japan.
Growing up in Velddrif, Western Cape, Smeda played in the Sasol League for over eight years with teams such as Ambassadors Ladies, Cape Town Roses and University of the Western Cape. She was called to her first Banyana Banyana camp in 2010.
After eight years in the national team, Chomi, as she is commonly referred to, received her first international contract in 2018, earning herself a jersey number at Lithuanian club, Gintra Universitetas.
Over the years in Europe, the 34-year old has played for Famalicão (Portugal), Vittsjo (Sweden) and Gintra Universitetas (Lithuania), Dux Logrono (Spain).
She is currently on the books of Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona, otherwise known as RCD Espanyol in the Segunda Division Femenina (Second Division) in Spain.
Jermaine Seoposenwe: 102
27 February 2024
Not many players bounce back from two years on the sidelines to become regulars and eventually earn 100 international caps with the senior national team.
That is the story of Jermaine Seoposenwe, who became the 10th member of Banyana Banyana to reach the 100-cap mark as coach Desiree Ellis’ charges beat Tanzania 1-0 (4-0 on aggregate) in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, on Tuesday night (27 February 2024) in the CAF Women’s Olympic Qualifiers.
“I just want to thank my Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. It is an honour to be part of the national team for such a long time, and I think few people get to join the club. I am privileged and honoured to be here. Thank you to my teammates, the staff, SAFA and everyone who has been involved in my journey up to this point. It has been a long one – 14 years,” Seoposenwe told SAFA Media.
The Capetonian spent two years on the sidelines due to VISA challenges that prevented her from being part of the national team and after putting the disappointment of that period behind her, she has become a regular in the Sasol-sponsored South African senior women’s team and a fan favourite.
There were always signs that the player would become a household name in women’s football as she rose through the junior ranks (U/17 girls) where she was part of the squad that participated at the 2010 FIFA U17 World Cup (Trinidad & Tobago), scoring twice to become the first South African female player to score at a World Cup.
She is one of a few Banyana Banyana players to have played in three FIFA World Cup tournaments – U17 in 2010 (Trinidad and Tobago), 2019 (France) and 2023 (Australia and New Zealand).
Seoposenwe also made the 2016 squad for the Rio Olympic Games and was instrumental in South Africa’s first gold medal in the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Lebohang Ramalepe: 100
Ramalepe is the newest member of the 100-mile club – the 11th Banyana Banyana player since 1993 when the team played their first ever match.
Currently registered with Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies in the Hollywoodbets Super League, after a European stint in Belarus, the defender has achieved almost everything there is to attain in football – played in the World Cup, Olympics, won the WAFCON as well as several COSAFA Cup tournaments.
In addition, she has claimed league titles both in South Africa and Belarus.
After making her national team debut in 2004 in Zimbabwe, the defender celebrated her half century of appearances against the same Nigeria back in 2018 – her first ever match against the Super Falcons.
This was in South Africa’s 1-0 win over the West Africans in CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations played on Sunday, 18 November at the Cape Coast Stadium in Ghana.
She has now joined the growing list of decorated Banyana Banyana centurions.
LIST OF BANYANA BANYANA CENTURIONS:
| NAME OF PLAYER | CAPS | GOALS |
| JANINE VAN WYK (retired) | 185 | 12 |
| NOKO MATLOU | 174 | 66 |
| NOMPUMELELO NYANDENI | 149 | 39 |
| NOTHANDO VILAKAZI | 137 | 7 |
| REFILOE JANE | 136 | 16 |
| PORTIA MODISE (retired) | 124 | 101 |
| MAMELLO MAKHABANE | 121 | 22 |
| AMANDA DLAMINI (retired) | 105 | 24 |
| JERMAINE SEOPOSENWE | 102 | 21 |
| LEANDRA SMEDA | 100 | 22 |
| LEBOHANG RAMALEPE | 100 | 4 |
By Matlhomola Morake
