Banyana Banyana forward Thembi Kgatlana is well on the way to full recovery after being out of the game for six months due to an Achilles tendon rupture she sustained in Morocco.
Many will remember that fateful night on Sunday, 10 July 2022 in the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Group C clash against Botswana at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, when she went down and was pulled off in the 69th minute.
Her place was taken by youngster Nthabiseng Majiya who scored the winning goal in the 80th minute for South Africa to advance to the quarterfinals.
Later, an MRI scan revealed the worst for the Sasol-sponsored Banyana Banyana regarding Kgatlana.
“Thembi Kgatlana sustained a complete rupture of the left Achilles tendon against Botswana, which was confirmed by the MRI scan this morning. Unfortunately, she will be out for the whole WAFCON 2022 tournament and she is due for an operation back home in South Africa. Post operation healing will be guided by certain milestones that we have to achieve, of course, a comprehensive functional rehabilitation programme will be in place for her but the quicker we achieve those milestones the quicker she will be back in the field of play. She’ll start jogging in roughly three months, return to non-sport in 16 to 20 weeks and return to contact sport in 20 to 24 weeks,” said Rodney Mokoka (Banyana Banyana’s Team Doctor) at the time.
The forward had to fly back home a few days later and underwent a surgery in South Africa upon arrival, so she could start her rehabilitation, while her compatriots continued with the tournament in North Africa.
Banyana Banyana went on to lift their maiden WAFCON title and also qualify for their second FIFA Women’s World Cup in a row.
Kgatlana’s injury came at a time when she had just signed (6 July 2022) a two-year contract with Racing Louisville FC in the NWSL in the USA, after leaving Spanish side Atletico Madrid, whom she had joined a year earlier from SD Eibar, also in Spain. Before then she was on the books of Benfica in Portugal.
The 2018 CAF Woman Player of the Year was expected to travel to the USA after the WAFCON in Morocco – but the injury put paid to her plans and dreams.
She has been hard at work with videos on social media showing her training alongside a physical trainer as she made her way back to full fitness.
Kgatlana has confirmed that she will leave next week for the USA to join her new teammates at Racing Louisville and also continue her rehabilitation.
There is a lot of expectation from her new club as they know they have made a great acquisition.
She is not new to the NWSL, having played for Houston Dash in 2018, under former Banyana Banyana head coach Vera Pauw, who is now with the Senior Women’s National Team of the Republic of Ireland (they will be making their debut at the FIFA Women’s World Cup).
CentreCircle spoke Kgatlana as she was preparing to depart for the US.
Happy new year Thembi, first let’s start with your recovery – how is it going?
Happy new year to you too! My recovery is going well I am making the required progress. The good thing is that my biokineticist and physiotherapist are happy.
You got injured in July last year, that’s a long time off the field, have you been out that long before?
Indeed, it is a long time off the field. And it is the longest time I have been out injured.
During all those months of recovery and rehab what kept you going?
I am grateful that my team (Racing Louisville FC) gave me this time to stay at home with my family and loved ones. It was important for me to be at home and be taken care of. It brought a lot of calmness to be able to push myself each day.
How much have you missed the game?
To be honest I didn’t miss the game at all. I used this time to rest, refresh and focus on other things in my life besides football.
In terms of progress, when can we expect to see you back on the field for a start? And when do you expect to be back in full swing?
My team and I are working productively here in South Africa, but soon I will be in the care of my team Racing Louisville to continue doing my rehabilitation. They will make their own assessment and take it from there.
Your contract in the USA, is it still intact? And when will you be travelling to the USA?
Yes, I am very much a Racing Louisville FC player. I will be joining the team next week for preseason.
This is a hectic year for Banyana Banyana, what are your personal hopes and ambitions?
Personally, I am focusing on getting fit to play, being back on the field – everything else is at the back of my head.
SAFA has announced that Banyana Banyana will be getting paid the same match fees and daily allowances as Bafana Bafana, how significant is that development?
Over the years this has been a fairy tale. I hope this time around it is true.
Sweden, Italy, and Argentina – do we stand a chance of getting out of the group?
Of course, we do! But that chance is influenced by our preparation for the World Cup. We should not forget that we don’t have a professional women’s league to help the girls play, think, and perform at a high level. And on the other hand, girls from Sweden, Italy and Argentina play professionally which means they already have an advantage over us.
SA, Zambia, Morocco, and Nigeria – what message do you have for the four African representatives?
We have nothing to lose. We should go out there to enjoy ourselves, to learn, but most importantly to play to make history for our nations.
On the Hollywoodbets Super League front, what do you think we can expect especially after seeing your former team UWC stage a good fight and finish in second place?
The Hollywoodbets Super League is getting exciting with each passing year. The season that just ended was electrifying at the end, and we hope it will bring the same excitement this season.
Lastly, South Africa women sports is in the spotlight this year: the inaugural ICC U19 T20 Women’s World Cup currently on the go here in SA, Netball World Cup here in SA in July and Banyana Banyana at the FIFA Women’s World Cup also in July: what message do you have for the players?
To every player who will get the opportunity to wear their respective national team jerseys, may they wear them with pride and know that there is nothing as satisfying as representing your country at the highest level in sports. Wear that jersey with so much joy because you will represent a lot of girls in the country who do not have the opportunity to wear that jersey.
By Matlhomola Morake
