Ellis vows to give Banyana veteran perfect send off against Malawi

Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis has vowed to give veteran Nompumelelo Nyandeni a perfect send-off in an international friendly match against Malawi.

Nyandeni is set to bid farewell to Banyana when they face Malawi at the UJ Soweto Campus on Saturday, 05 April 2025.

Banyana’s clash against the Scorchers could see Nyandeni make his 150th cap for the national team. The JWV midfielder is set to retire from Banyana after making his debut as a 15-year-old in 2002.

The 37-year-old has been absent from Banyana after last donning the yellow jersey in 2019, however, she was called up to the recent squad to earn her 150th cap before hanging up her boots.

WHAT DESIREE ELLIS SAID ABOUT NYANDENI

In a gesture to honour Nyandeni, Desiree Ellis revealed that the midfielder will be given minutes to get a perfect send-off.

“Mpumi will get her chance, I think we learned our lessons with Janine van Wyk [delaying her 185th cap,” Ellis told the media.

“First of all, you have to win the game and get the results, so with all that pressure, we missed the chance to play Janine. So we had conversations with Mpumi last year, but unfortunately, we didn’t play at home.

“We want to give her the farewell at home more than anything, so we’ve already decided that we’ve got the opportunity to do that. I mean, we could have brought her in during the previous camp, but she played with most of the players in this camp. It’s a perfect way to bring her in to give her that farewell and 150th cap.

“Mpumi came in as a 15-year-old, and when I saw her play for the first time, I was stepping out from playing, and she was stepping in. She was a revelation, very gifted, very skillful, and she’s been part of the success of the national team.”

Meanwhile, Banyana will also bid farewell to Noko Matlou, who is also hanging up her boots. The Limpopo-born star, who made her debut in 2007, is the second most capped Banyana player with 170 appearances behind Janine van Wyk, who has 185 caps.

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