Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, has congratulated the Proteas women’s team for reaching the nation’s first-ever World Cup final after beating England on Friday.
South Africa won the highly-anticipated match by six runs.
South African pacer, Ayabonga Khaka, claimed 4-29 before Shabnim Ismail defended 13 runs in the final over to seal the country’s spot in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, which will be played on Sunday.
The result Means that South Africa are through to their first-ever World Cup final in any format.
“Our resilience as a nation comes strong in our national sports teams. We have demonstrated that we can compete and win on a world stage.
“We have won cups from our rugby team, Banyana Banyana, and now the Proteas women’s team is just a blink away from winning,” a proud Gungubele said of the win.
The Minister told SAnews that government and the nation stand behind the Proteas women’s squad.
“South Africans support them!” he told the online publication.
Gungubele said the women’s cricket team has made the country “tremendously proud”.
“As a nation, we stand behind them and rally all South Africans to support them as they participate in the World Cup Final. We have no doubt that they are more than ready to lift the trophy.”
In addition, Gungubele said he was pleased the country has been staging a few world events.
This includes the 2023 Cape Town e-Prix, the first ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race hosted in sub-Saharan Africa and the first major open-wheel race since 1993.
For the first time, South Africans will witness as drivers race their electric-powered cars at speeds of up to 280km/h, showcasing their mettle on Saturday, 25 February.
According to the organizers, the Formula E is the fastest-growing series in motorsport and boasts the best roster in racing, where renowned road car manufacturers and automotive brands battle for points, position and bragging rights.
Also, the first-ever World Table Tennis Championships is coming to South Africa in Durban this year and to the African continent for the first time since 1939.
Again, Cape Town will host the Vitality Netball World Cup 2023 from 28 July to 6 August 2023.
Sixteen teams compete in the Netball World Cup from across the five World Netball regions. The event is played in three stages.
All teams play in each stage and will have completed either seven or eight matches at the end of the event and tickets are now on sale.
Source: South African Government News Agency