Banyana Banyana could not turn domination into a winning result as they were shocked 2-1 by a fiery Tanzania in their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) Group B opener in Casablanca on Monday.
Diana Msewa opened the scoring against the run of play for Tanzania in the 38th minute at Stade Moulay Rachid. Defender Bambanani Mbane pulled one back for the South Africans two minutes into first-half added time.
Tanzania’s late winner came from lively substitute Hasnath Ubamba’s classy goal a minute into added time at the end.
On balance of play, coach Desiree Ellis’s South Africans probably edged Tanzania about three chances to one. Yet Banyana could not turn that dominance into more goals and the East Africans relished taking the fight to their vaunted opponents, capitalising far better when opportunities did come their way.
South Africa, champions in 2022 and fourth-placed finishers in the last Wafcon in 2024, both times in Morocco, have it all to do to bounce back against Ivory Coast on Friday (9pm SA time) and Burkina Faso on August 4 (10pm).
Banyana had all the play in the opening half and laid siege to Tanzania’s goal, but the East Africans opened the scoring against the run of play. Msewa’s goal added urgency to South Africa’s attack and Mbane equalised just before the break.
The South Africans produced one-way traffic as efforts at goal came in starting from Thembi Kgatlana’s off-balance drive easily saved by goalkeeper Najat Idrisa in the sixth minute.
Hildah Magaia (shot saved), Karabo Dhlamini (cross-cum shot onto the crossbar) and Lebogang Ramalepe (two shots stopped) kept Idrisa on her toes.
Tanzania then stunned the South Africans as Msewa’s 20m run down the middle ended with the attacker turning centreback Bongeka Gamede inside out then finishing low past Andile Dlamini.
If the South Africans seemed to take their overwhelming possession advantage for granted at some level until conceding, going through the motions to some extent in the final third, the goal set their attack alight.
Banyana got behind the Tanzanians far better with Idrisa, after keeping her team in the game, crumbling under the increased intensity.
A cross was parried by the keeper to the feet of Kgatlana who shot, Idrisa recovering well for a diving reflex stop.
However, the resultant cross was misjudged as it came at mid level to the keeper, who was up in the air, and she awkwardly parried down, centreback Mbane on hand to gratefully head the bouncing ball in at close range.
The South Africans would have wanted to carry that dominant energy into the second half.
However, it was the Tanzanians who came out from the break with a greater spring in their step as they got more passes together and pinned the South Africans back.
Just before the hour, substitute Ubamba’s swerving free-kick had Dlamini unsighted and wrong-footed, the keeper recovering well for a save.
In the 66th minute, after Dlamini parried an effort the keeper had to come out to a bouncing ball, and was beaten by the header of Opah Clement Tukumbuke, Mbane and Gamede combining to clear in front of the line.
At the other end, Dhlamini’s cross found substitute Nthabiseng Majiya, who mis-hit her volley wide off her shins from point blank.
The South Africans muscled back the advantage and again piled on the pressure, but again could not finish.
Then Tanzania were rewarded for their tenacity when, from a short corner, Ubamba beat Gamede at the left touchline and cut onto her right foot, smacking a fine strike past Dlamini for the late winner.
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