Andile Dlamini hopes to inspire young girls to “take over the world”

On Tuesday, Dlamini was named Athlete of the Year at the 18th edition of the GSport Awards in Johannesburg. 

The 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Goalkeeper of the Tournament adds this honour to her Gauteng Sports Awards Sports Personality of the Year and the SA Sports Star of the Year earlier this year. 

"Every award that I get is number one. I believe this one is not for me only, it's for the people. This is God showing off. This is for my mother and my father who are at home right now, who watched me on TV. This is for everyone that believed in me," she told SABC Sport. 

Dlamini celebrated two more awards on the night as the WAFCON champions successfully defended their Team of the Year honour, ahead of Maties Women’s Rugby and 2023 ICC T20 Women’s World Cup silver medallists Proteas Women. 

And as a result of helping Banyana become the first South African team to advance past the Round of 16 in a FIFA World Cup, coach Desiree Ellis was named Coach of the Year.

"We [Banyana Banyana] are a group of girls that believe in women's football. We are a group that believes that any girl is capable of taking over the world. We are a group of girls that want to change how women are seen all over the world, not only in our country." 

The shot-stopper, whose performance of the Gwijo song "Hamba Wena" went viral at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand last month, surprised attendees as the opening act alongside a school choir.