Lebo Ramalepe has benefited from a recurring move into a more advanced role for South Africa at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, according to ESPN. The Mamelodi Sundowns defender, who starred as a winger during last year’s run to the semi-finals, came off the bench in Friday’s 2-2 draw with Ivory Coast and was deployed higher up the field rather than at right-back.
The 34-year-old spent more than a decade at full-back before the switch last year, and she had started this tournament back at right-back in a 2-1 loss to Tanzania. Ramalepe was initially on the bench against Ivory Coast and replaced Noxolo Cesane late in the match. Minutes after her introduction Thembi Kgatlana pulled a goal back, and Hildah Magaia scored a stoppage-time equaliser to earn a vital point, with Ramalepe credited with incisive runs that helped change the momentum, according to ESPN.
Ramalepe told ESPN that coach Desiree Ellis’s decision to use her as a winger was new but invigorating, noting she had spent more than 10 years away from the position. She added that her game is built on balancing defence and attack, using her pace to support forward play while also tracking back when required, according to ESPN.
At club level, Ramalepe played in Limpopo until age 28 before a breakthrough stint with Dinamo Minsk and a return to South Africa with Mamelodi Sundowns in 2023. She said the Sundowns contract allowed her to focus solely on football rather than juggling work outside the game, and praised the club’s investment in women’s football, according to ESPN.
ESPN noted the HollywoodBets Super League remains semi-professional, with 21 of South Africa’s 26-player WAFCON squad based at local clubs. Hildah Magaia is unattached, while Thembi Kgatlana (Tigres UANL), Bongeka Gamede (Nordsjaelland), Linda Motlhalo (Glasgow City) and Amogelang Motau (Club Tijuana) are among four players currently contracted abroad. Refiloe Jane was cited as an exception with extensive overseas experience and is now with TS Galaxy, according to ESPN.
South Africa remain in Casablanca and face Burkina Faso on Aug. 4, a match they must win to retain any chance of reaching the quarter-finals. ESPN outlined the qualification picture: the four semi-finalists secure spots at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, two losing quarter-finalists enter an African playoff to reach the inter-confederation playoffs, and specific results involving Ivory Coast and Tanzania will determine whether Banyana progress.
