Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies sensational midfielder, Boitumelo Rabale has been named the Woman Footballer of the Year for 2024 by the South African Football Journalists Association (SAFJA) at a prestigious event held at the Supersport offices in Randburg, Johannesburg on Tuesday (2 September 2025).
This is her second consecutive SAFJA Award.
Rabale pocketed a winner’s cheque of 20-thousand rand (R20.000), and, thanks to SAFJA’s new partnership with VW South Africa, she will be driving around in a VW Golf 1.4 TSI Life Plus for the next six months, courtesy of the vehicle manufacturing company. The Men’s Player of the Year, Iqraam Reiners of Mamelodi Sundowns, will also be handed a similar vehicle.
“This partnership underscores VWGA’s commitment to supporting excellence in South African football, both on and off the field. SAFJA’s partnership with VWGA adds an extra layer of prestige to the awards, which celebrate outstanding contributions from players and football storytellers alike. The placed vehicles will give the award-winning players the freedom to travel in comfort and style, as they continue to inspire future generations on the pitch,” said SAFJA in a statement.
The Lesotho Women’s National team captain becomes only the fourth player in the five-year existence of the awards to claim the Women’s Football of the Year title, following in the footsteps of inaugural recipient Rhoda Mulaudzi (Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies) in 2020, Bambanani Mbane (Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies) in 2021 as well as 2022 winner Nompumelelo Nyandeni (JVW).
Rabale joined the Brazilians in 2021 after a stint in Canada and the USA playing college football for CBU Capers and LCCC Trailblazers respectively.
She has been the go-to person for Banyana ba Style over the years, with 31 goals to her name in 52 appearances.
In 2023 Rabale was named the Hollywoodbets Super League Player of the Season – the same year she shone the brightest at the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Champions League, where she walked away with the Player of the Tournament accolade and was also included in the Best 11 of the competition.
This was after she almost single-handedly helped the Brazilians to victory with a goal in the 1-0 win over the then defending champions AS FAR of Morocco in the semi-finals and followed it up with another strike in the final as they defeated SC Casablanca (Morocco) 3-0.
Just last month, it was her solitary goal in the 19th minute that saw Sundowns Ladies progress to the semi-finals of the 2025 CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA qualifiers against stubborn debutants Zesco Ndola Girls from Zambia.
However, the South Africans fell in the last four to the same team in a 2-1 defeat that shocked women’s football followers, as the Brazilians were knocked out of the competition, thereby missing out on Champions League football for the first time since the start of the tournament in 2021.
At her club, the player with an educated left foot currently leads the strikers’ pack with 10 goals in 17 league matches so far this season, closely followed by fellow forward, Melinda Kgadiete on seven.
(Editor’s note: VW is also the vehicle partner for women’s football at the South African Football Association (SAFA).
Here are all the winners at the 2025 SAFJA Awards:
- 𝐌𝐄𝐍’𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑
Boitumelo Rabale
(Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies)
- 𝐌𝐄𝐍’𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑
Iqraam Rayners
(Mamelodi Sundowns)
- 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐉𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑
Mthokozisi Dube
(FARPost)
- 𝐉𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑
Mthokozisi Dube
(FARPost)
- 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐉𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑
Lonwabo Miso
(SABC Sport)
- 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐆 𝐉𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑
Neo Poho
(SoccerBeats)
- 𝐊𝐀𝐒𝐈 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑
(The Khabba Cup, founded by former player Manqoba Mkhize, makes history as the very first winner of this award Celebrating community impact through football)
By Matlhomola Morake
