Fikile Magama: A Born Winner shining brightest at WAFCON

In a tournament brimming with global and established superstars, South African defender Fikile Magama has found a deserved place among the TotalEnergies WAFCON 2024 Group Stages Best XI as selected by the Technical Study Group. 

Her name Fikile means "Arrived" in isiXhosa. And arrive she has. Magama has arrived at the continental stage and looks comfortable with the big names. Quiet and very reserved off the pitch, mostly found in a corner minding her own business but overall locked in on the purpose. 

“Being in the Best XI means a lot to me. I didn’t expect it but looking back at how far I have come, being in the Best XI shows how much work I’ve done to get to where I am today,” Magama says to CAFOnline in an exclusive interview.

“The WAFCON is an amazing experience. As someone attending for the first time, I am truly impressed by the community's enthusiasm and knowledge. The sessions have been great, and the chance to connect with others is excellent within Banyana Banyana. What has stood up for me the most is fighting for one another on the field even when I make a mistake my teammate is there to motivate me and that has kept me going and made me want to give my all,” the 23-year-old defender adds.

From Gugulethu to the World

Magama started playing football at the tender age of seven. Her passion for the beautiful game was supported by her lovely grandmother who took her to Cape Town Roses where her skills were harnessed until she was 15 when she moved to Dangerous Heroes in Philippi still in the Mother City. Then she joined Phuhla FC (a boys’ team). 

As a young girl with dreams of gaining further education, Magama joined the University of Western Cape. UWC as they are commonly known have a solid football platform for young ladies and for Magama, this was the perfect fit. Enrolled into the Sport Recreation Exercise Sciences, Magama is focusing on achieving both her dreams – education and football. 

Playing under Thinasonke Mbuli at UWC at club level has seen her grow her game whilst also winning titles including the Women’s Varsity Football title in 2021. Mbuli is also the assistant coach of the Banyana Banyana. This growth in leaps and bounds earned her more recognition from the national junior coaches including former South African captain cum head coach of the U17 and later the U20 national team at the time – Simphiwe Dludlu. 

“When I first met her, she was very shy but could speak up. She didn't impress me on the position she played at first in camp, but I remember her asking me to play a totally different position because she could kick with her left foot. I never regretted keeping her in the team because she ended up being a key player at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in 2018 in Uruguay and beyond,” Dludlu reminisces. 

Dludlu, who is working as a broadcast commentator at the WAFCON in Morocco and commentated South Africa’s first two games – against Ghana and Tanzania, reveals that, “Her insight of the game has drastically improved, and she has been tactically versatile. She has so far executed her role as a defender pretty well against different opposition. She was good with 1v1 in defense and covering her other defenders. Her transition from defense to attack has been a marvel to watch. She almost scored against Tanzania. I saw confidence shine through.” 

Praises galore

Banyana Banyana head coach Dr Desiree Ellis who has selected her to start in all three of South Africa’s Group C fixtures against Ghana, Tanzania and Mali is singing her praises. 

“For a very long time, Lebohang Ramalepe has been the right back for Banyana Banyana but the qualities that Fikile has, we realized that we could utilize them at right back and the qualities that Ramalepe has, we could utilize them further up field. She played all three games in the group stages. It shows the quality that she has had. She has grown and she has matured so, so much. She offers us so much going forward as well. She could have scored against Mali but defensively she is very sound,” Ellis says with such enthusiasm about Magama. 

“She has played 90+ minutes in all these matches. She has also got the experience of going to the U17 World Cup and that experience is second to none. She was part of our squad at the 2023 World Cup [in Australia and New Zealand]. It just shows how she has grown and how she has matured. In some of our games, she has even played left back. She is that versatile.”

“I think she is a huge part of the defense and why we have only conceded one goal in the tournament, and she is going to be on top of her game in the next game. We trust her and we have faith in her. At the club [UWC], she has matured as well. I think having coach Thina there has really helped her grow and develop but she has really showed that she is up there and can battle it out there with the best that the continent can offer. I just hope that she continues in this reign because she has really matured and grown and gotten better.”

“She also has got the experience of playing at the CAF Women’s Champions League (CAFWCL) and the COSAFA in an unfamiliar role. I think she played at left back. It shows the strength and the quality that she has. All those experiences put together are now coming through. It is showing in the way that she performs, in the way that she adds value to the team and she has been one of the pillars of the team at this tournament.”

Magama played a key role in inspiring UWC to finishing second in the topflight league in South Africa which earned them a place in the CAFWCL COSAFA Qualifiers reaching the final and winning 9-8 on penalties following a 1-1 after extra time against Botswana’s Gaborone United. Magama scored one of the penalties that earned the university side a place at the continent’s biggest inter-club competition that took place in Morocco. 

Quarterfinal test

This is the first time that the Banyana Banyana are at the WAFCON as defending champions. Winners in 2022, South Africa have one goal – to defend their title. But in front of them is a very ambitious Senegal side that are desperate to return to the last eight for a second consecutive edition. The Teranga Lionesses will face their biggest test at the competition. 

And to stop Senegal, Magama and her teammates will have to once again dig deep into their experience of winning the last edition and playing at back-to-back World Cups. 

“We want to win against Senegal in the quarterfinals. Our team will need to focus on several key areas; strong defence, clinical finishing, midfield control, teamwork and strategy, physical and mental preparation and lastly adaptability,” Magama predicts. 

This quarterfinal matchup between South Africa and Senegal will be the first time the two teams are meeting in the knockout stages of the TotalEnergies WAFCON. With Banyana Banyana playing all their three Group C matches at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda, it has become a home for them at this competition. Magama and her teammates will be hoping to use that to their advantage against Senegal on Saturday at 8pm (local time).