Desiree Ellis' absence in the Banyana Banyana squad meant senior players had to fill the void left by the coach

Kylin Swart believes that their growth into senior Banyana Banyana players helped interim coach Thinasonke Mbuli during the protracted negotiations of head coach Desiree Ellis.

The expiration of Ellis contract last year meant he was on a month to month contract with Safa but the coach staged a go slow of sort when the team played 2026 Wafcon qualifier last month.

Her absence meant Mbuli, as assistant to Ellis, takes over as interim coach two legged tie against the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The side drew 1-1 in Kinshasa for the first leg against the DRC and managed a 1-0 win at home in the return encounter.

Goalkeeper, Kaylin Swart, says it was not a difficult task for the interim coach as they had to step in as senior players while admitting it felt uneasy during Ellis’ absence.

“No, just a little bit of uncertainty of whether she's coming back or we'll get a new coach, but we never focused on that, we were always focused on ourselves," said Swart to SABC Sport.

"I think we've got to give credit to Coach Thina for stepping into that position. It was never going to be easy, but she really tried and I think us as seniors also tried to help her, back her as much as we could.”

"And I think it was a great camp, and the fact that we qualified with her is also something she should take a positive from because she contributed a lot.”