South Africa Women’s National Team head coach Dr Desiree Ellis says her side is not taking the upcoming friendly match against Malawi lightly despite the visitors missing key players.
The two sides will clash in back-to-back international friendly matches on April 5 and 8, 2025, at the UJ Soweto Campus.
The scorchers will be without the Chawinga sisters – Temwa and Tabitha – and France-based Rose Kabzere.
However, Dr Ellis reacted that the absence of the key players will not affect her approach to the two friendly matches.
She adds that Malawi has improved, proving their worth at the COSAFA tournament, even without the key players.
“We do not have control over who the opponents (Malawi) select as part of their team,” she told SAFA Media. “We will prepare the way we prepare. Malawi has shown at COSAFA and has grown really well.
“They’ve shown their physicality and how they’ve evolved. They can play without their big players, and we’re going to take nothing for granted.”
These games are part of South Africa’s preparation for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), which Morocco will host in July 2025. Malawi will play Angola in the 2026 WAFCON qualifiers.
Another highlight of the two matches will be the retiring from international football of 39-year-old Banyana Banyana veteran Noko Matlou.
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