Banyana Banyana has confirmed that striker Thembi Kgatlana has been ruled out of the African Women's Cup of Nations (AWCON) following last night's injury.
Kgatlana was carried off in a stretcher in the 65th minute of the game against Botswana after seemingly having stepped awkwardly. She made way for teenager Nthabiseng Majiya who would later score the winning goal for Banyana.
Following the injury, Banyana's Doctor Rodney Mokoka has confirmed that the 26-year-old striker has raptured her Achilles tendon and will be flying back to South Africa for an operation.
"Thembi Kgatlana sustained a complete rupture of the left Achilles tendon against Botswana, which was confirmed by the MRI scan this morning. Unfortunately, she will be out for the whole WAFCON 2022 tournament and she is due for an operation back home in South Africa," Mokoka told Safa.net.
The 26-year-old forward is one of the squad's most important players and her withdrawal will come as huge to blow as Banyana head to the knockout stages of the competition. This will be Desiree Ellis' second setback for her forward line after losing JWV striker Gabriela Salgado to injury just weeks before the competition.
Fortunately, fellow striker Jermaine Seoposenwe injury will be returning to training and should be ready for Thursday Quarter-Final encounter against Tunisia. Having had her first taste of the net, Majiya may also be called in to the rescue far more frequently than she would have imagined at the start of this competition.