South African women’s national football player Bambanani Mbane has been applauded for acknowledging her wife during the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) tournament in Morocco.
Earlier this month, South Africa’s team – known affectionately as Banyana Banyana (“the girls, the girls”) – claimed a 2-0 victory over Ghana.
Speaking after the victory, Mbane, who was named Woman of the Match, casually told SABC Sport:
“It was a tough game… This is not for me, it is for my team and my wife at home.”
Mbane, who plays for Mamelodi Sundowns, has represented South Africa internationally since 2016. She married her wife, Tsholo, in 2019 after they first connected as Facebook friends.
Bambanani Mbane’s Bold Statement
While her words may seem unremarkable to South African audiences, her gesture was profound within the context of WAFCON, where many players would risk persecution or backlash for publicly acknowledging same-sex partners.
Africa remains the region with the highest number of countries criminalising same-sex intimacy. The host nation, Morocco, still outlaws homosexuality, with Article 489 of its Penal Code prescribing up to three years in prison for same-sex acts.
Mbane’s short but meaningful statement sparked heated debate when her interview was shared on Facebook. Dozens of commenters from across Africa criticised her, expressing dismay or confusion.
“Was that ‘my wife’ part necessary?” asked one user. Another wrote, “God does not like what y’all are promoting.”
She doesn’t need to hide
However, many others praised Mbane’s honesty and courage. One supporter commented, “We hear people mentioning their husbands and wives whenever they are given the platform and nobody questions the necessity of it. What’s different with her?”
Another added, “She doesn’t need to hide her spouse to please anyone.”
According to Outsports, South Africa has at least three other out LGBTQ+ players participating in WAFCON: goalkeeper Kaylin Swart, midfielder Refiloe Jane, and forward Gabriela Salgado.
At the time of writing South Africa had reached the semi-finals of the WAFCON tournament.
Bambanani Mbane’s simple yet defiant acknowledgment is a reminder that representation matters, especially in a continent where LGBTQ+ athletes remain largely invisible due to legal and social pressures.
🏅 ℙ𝕃𝔸𝕐𝔼ℝ 𝕆𝔽 𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕄𝔸𝕋ℂℍ 🏅
Banyana Banyana defender Bambanani Mbane!
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