Official: New Banyana & Bafana Kits Unveiled

The new Banyana Banyana and Bafana Bafana home and away kits have been unveiled by LeCoqSportif and the South African Football Association.

Earlier in the week, the new away kit was leaked to iDiski Times, while the new alternate kit was unveiled on Thursday.

LeCoqSportif had asked for local designers to submit their concepts, with over 50 ideas being submitted before a five-name shortlist was drawn up and presented to players from Banyana and Bafana.

After the national team players gave their inputs, Lwazi Ngcungama of FreewayartsD was announced as the winner of the competition.

On Friday morning, the predominantly yellow home kit and the green and golden away kit were now officially launched.

The home shirt – “The Nation Builder”:

Lwazi Ngcungama (Winner of the Design Campaign) used the pattern of the South African flag to encapsulate this idea of nationhood by imprinting the flag in the front and back panel of the jersey,” LeCoqSportif said via a statement.

“In the left side panel of the jersey the inscription reads “Nkosi Sikelel’ I’Afrika” which is the name of the South African National Anthem – further embodying this notion of patriotism, togetherness and sense of ‘Ubuntu’.”

The away shirt – “An ode to WAFCON ’22”:

“In this Away jersey,  Lwazi Ngcungama used the pattern of the South African National Flower – the Protea. The Protea is expanded and turned into a vector to create the unique style you see in the jersey,” LeCoqSportif stated.

“Not only does the pattern carry the National Flower of South Africa but it also carries the colours of which Banyana Banyana achieved success in the recent Women’s African Cup of Nations. 

“The green and gold is symbolic in that Banyana Banyana won the competition wearing the green/away SAFA x Le Coq Sportif playing jersey 2021/2022.”

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Legacy jersey – “An ode to ’96”:

“An ode to the design used during the 1996 Bafana AFCON success, this unique take embodies the essence of football in South Africa. A recognizable pattern that embraces you with nostalgia – not only around the triumphs of this Bafana team – but what this meant to the country fresh out of apartheid just after its first democratic election in ’94 and the success of the 1995 Springbok team who were victorious at the IRB Rugby World Cup,” LeCoqSportif explained.

“The Legacy jersey encapsulate heritage and history and it does this in the lieu of bringing together the Nation to unite behind both our Men’s and Women’s teams. Carrying with them that essence of Madiba and the spirit of the players who donned the jersey before.  

“The two stars above the African continent denotes the AFCON champions of Bafana in ’96 as well as Banyana in 2022 – thus the inscription next to the continent with those respective years of success.”

LeCoqSportif and SAFA will have a second launch involving Banyana and Bafana towards the end of the May when the kit will go on sale.

Banyana will wear the jerseys at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.