Given how she’s flown under the radar with the furtiveness of a stealth bomber, not many will remember that Kholosa Biyana was part of the Banyana Banyana team that made their maiden appearance at the Fifa Women’s World Cup in 2019 in France.
In fact Biyana, a defensive midfielder born in the small village of Clarkebury, about 80km east of Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, started all three matches against Spain, China and Germany in France. The experience the 29-year-old gained in 2019 was to serve her and Banyana well in Australia and New Zealand where, after an injury to captain Refiloe Jane, Biyana became a big player in Desire Ellis’s history-making Banyana, who became the first South African senior national team to qualify for the last 16 at a World Cup.
The radiology graduate from Durban University of Technology played for University of the Western Cape (UWC) in Safa’s Hollywoodbets Super League but on the weekend made a big move to Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies, the three-time successive HollyWoodbets Super League winners. UWC were the runners-up to the Brazilians in the last two seasons.
Biyana has been around the block in the last decade, making sure her name remains at the top when it comes to Banyana. She spent two seasons in the Spanish second division, playing for Sporting de Gijón between 2020 and 2022, before returning to SA to play for UWC and help Banyana lift the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title in Morocco last year.
Yet despite solidly accumulating almost 40 caps, the muscular midfielder is not a household name like some — notably captain Refiloe Jane — and defenders such as Noko Matlou and Bambanani Mbane, who she so ably challenged for places or deputised for.
That changed in Australasia. Many will remember Kholosa for controlling proceedings in the Banyana midfield for three matches from the moment she replaced Jane, who suffered a serious injury 40 minutes into the 2-2 draw against Argentina and was ruled out of the tournament. Kholosa had started alongside Jane in the 1-0 loss to Sweden in the first match but, having been booked, was on the bench against Argentina.
When she replaced Jane, Kholosa sound herself substituted again with Ellis fearing she might earn a red card having picked up another yellow against Argentina, which would have seen here miss the next two matches instead of one. She stamped her authority on Banyana’s midfield against the South Americans before being taken off.
“For people who not know me that well, I’m not surprised because it’s often the case with defensive midfielders,” Biyana said. “No-one really notices you, even though defensive midfielders drive and control the team.
“So that [being noticed] was not important to me. I had one thing on my mind, to help the team reach its dreams and I had a great time. I enjoyed myself and when I look back on 2019, I think I was a different player from then to now. It [the improvement] is thanks to that past experience from 2019.
“I know some people will be surprised I played in 2019 World Cup. [From that] I knew where I needed to be [in 2023] to make my preparation spot on. I knew the level there [at a World Cup] and what it would demand of me.”
Even with their exploits, not everything was smooth sailing for Banyana at the World Cup, with Ellis constantly taking flak for overlooking 2022 Nations Cup hero Andile Dlamini in goal, opting to field Kaylin Swart in all four matches.
“For me those things are not up for discussion, man. We can’t be discussing who’s supposed to play or not. South Africans can’t be telling the coach, ‘This one must play or not’,” Biyana said.
“The coach makes the decisions based on the game plan and I believe she made the right decisions. I think people forget about the important role Kaylin played.
“She made some super saves and if she didn’t make those we wouldn’t have gone to the last 16. Andile has mentioned it that one thing that people ignore is the mental health of the players, which is very important at a tournament.
“Imagine what a certain player goes through when people start talking negative things about her. I think going forward people must think about those things and how they can influence the game.
People think our fight [with the SA Football Association over contracts before Banyana’s departure for the World Cup] was about money. For me the fight was about being treated the way we deserve and recognised as African champions.
— Kholosa Biyana
“But other than that we were great, we were happy at camp. It doesn’t matter who was selected. Anyone who came in did the job for the team.”
Biyana insists Dlamini was the player leading the support from the bench for those on the field. “People say it was affecting her [Dlamini] not playing. Even for me, when I don’t play it doesn’t matter at that level. At that level the team is more important than the individual. You give your best, do your role.”
The midfielder has no problem continuing playing in SA if there is no overseas team that can pay what she thinks she deserves. The deal to join Sundowns is sure to be lucrative by the country’s domestic standards for women’s football.
Having attained her degrees, Kholosa says she is in no rush to give up football. “I did radiography and sports science, with an honours in biokinetics. I know I’m sorted for life after football. I’m not working yet because I feel like focusing on football.”
The 2027 Women’s World Cup might be four years away, but for Kholosa the excitement will grow if SA wins the bid to host it. “It would be nice for an African country to host the World Cup and maybe heading to that will change the state of women’s football in SA. It’s four years from now and who knows what’s going to happen.
“People think our fight [with the SA Football Association over contracts before Banyana’s departure for the World Cup] was about money. For me the fight was about being treated the way we deserve and recognised as African champions. We went into the World Cup and did well and we forgot about whatever happened in SA.”
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