Khanyisa Chawane ready to lead Proteas to continental glory

Chawane recently led the Proteas to a dominant 3-0 series victory over Malawi on home soil.

She is now leading a squad of 15 contracted players at the Africa Cup of Nations in Swakopmund, Namibia, which began on Monday and runs until 14 December.

The Proteas are set to face Malawi on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and speaking to SABC Sport, Chawane expressed her readiness for the next challenge in Africa.

"My journey as a captain has really been great. The team has really been supportive, the team has been looking good and the start of this journey has just been smoother than I ever thought it would be,” Chawane said.

“The support that I get from the supporting stuff, the federation, the players and everything just makes my job easy. Winning against Malawi was really great, it was a great start to the journey of being a captain lifting a trophy, making sure that you start on a good note.

“So, yeah, my journey has been great and I'm thankful to God to be in this position."

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The Tzaneen-born star succeeded the legendary Bongi Msomi, who holds the record as the highest-capped player with 172 appearances for the senior national team.

The Proteas are embarking on a new chapter under the leadership of head coach Jenny van Dyk and captain Chawane.

Despite these changes, their mission remains unchanged - to establish themselves as the top team in Africa.

"I am just looking forward to seeing what the team will do like as Spar Proteas, the brand that we've created is not only just to lift trophies over test series but really to be the best in Africa,” she added.

“So, I'm looking forward to this new beginning. It's a new team and we started really well and it's only for us to keep it going and to have that continuation of what we have started.

“So, going into Africa, yes it's going to be tough, all the teams are gonna come guns blazing and it's battling to be the best in Africa. So, no one is just going to give it away on a silver platter but as a team, we've been preparing and we are really looking forward to really regaining that dominance of South Africa being the best in Africa."