Williams Up For Major Award
Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams is vying for the inaugural COSAFA award, the men’s Goalkeeper of the Year 2023.
Williams, who claimed the Golden Glove award in the Africa Cup of Nations finals two months ago in Ivory Coast, led Bafana to claim the bronze medal, which was for the first time in 24 years.
The former SuperSport United captain is vying for this award with Namibian international and Chippa United’s Lloyd Kazapua and Zambia international Lawrence Mulenga.
Ronwen was colossal in all competitions, not only for Bafana but for Mamelodi Sundowns who claimed the DStv Premiership last season for the sixth time along with the inaugural African Football League title (AFL).
The 32-year-old kept 32 clean sheets in 49 appearances for Sundowns last year, breaking the record of Moeneb Josephs in the league last season.
According to COSAFA, the judging panel from across the 14 member nations that make up COSAFA are renowned for their knowledge of Southern African football.
Thapelo Maseko, who joined Sundowns from SuperSport United before this season started, is vying for the men’s Most Promising Player category,
Maseko, touted as the next future star in Mzansi where he was named player of the tournament in the AFL, is in contention alongside Zambian duo Miguel Chaiwa (Young Boys) and Gift Mphande.
In the women’s category, Banyana Banyana goalkeepers – Kaylin Swart and Andile Dlamini are vying for the Goalkeeper of the Year category, along with Malawi’s Mercy Sikelo. Swart and Dlamini, who led Banyana to the WAFCON title in 2022, were part of Desiree Ellis’ side that reached the knockout stages of the FIFA Women’s World Cup last year, the first senior national team in South Africa to do so.
The Women’s Most Promising Player Award listed are Esther Banda (Green Buffaloes/Zambia), Leticia Chinyamula (Ascent Academy/Malawi), and Rose Kadzere (Ascent Academy/Malawi).
The winner will be announced at a gala awards ceremony on 19 April in Durban, with a panel of judges from across the region having assessed their performances for the period of 1 January to 31 December 2023.
