South Africa have unveiled a 20-player squad for the 2019 Cosafa U17 Women's Cup scheduled to be staged from September 20-29 in Port Louis, Mauritius.
Bantwana, who are hoping to claim their maiden regional crown following their Women's World Cup outing last year are zoned in Group B alongside Seychelles, Botswana and Madagascar.
Simphiwe Dludlu, who led the U20 women's team to a third-place finish at the inaugural Cosafa U20 Women's Cup in August, has been tasked to lead the U17 side to success in Mauritania.
Dludlu has trimmed her initial list of 34 players to 20 players for the tournament, with two goalkeepers, seven defenders, eight midfielders and three strikers.
Commenting on her selections, ex-Banyana Banyana star, who coached the team to the World Cup in Uruguay in 2018, admitted undergoing a rigorous process in drawing up a solid final squad.
“We have had a hectic week of training, dealing with a big group of players," Dludlu told the media.
"I believe we have chosen a strong team and we are happy with the quality of players, but it was important to also see which of them can quickly adapt to new surroundings and different coaching styles.
“I was also impressed with their performance in the practice match against JVW, the players managed to keep the shape we want and most importantly follow instructions.
"We were also pleasantly surprised and happy with Olivia Hardie from JVW FC who played at centre-back and her performance has earned her a call up into our squad.”
Bantwana's preparation will continue in South Africa ahead of their trip to Mauritania next week for the eight-nation youth tournament in Port Louis.
They begin their campaign against Seychelles on September 21 before taking on Botswana two days later and end their group stage against Madagascar on September 25.
SOUTH AFRICA FULL SQUAD
GOALKEEPERS: Karabo MOHALE High Performance Centre (Gauteng), Luyanda SIBIYA Sunflower FC (KwaZulu Natal)
DEFENDERS: Mihle LUMKO High Performance Centre (Gauteng), Shannon MACOMO Golden Stars (Eastern Cape), Ntateko NKHUNA Mams Ladies FC (Gauteng), Shakira O’MALLEY High Performance Centre (Gauteng), Olivia HARDIE Randburg FC (Gauteng), Philisani HLELA Cape Town Roses FC (Western Cape), Yolanda NDULI Sunflower FC (KwaZulu Natal)
MIDFIELDERS: Jessica WADE JVW (Gauteng), Thando SIBANDA Mito Stars FC (Gauteng), Tiffany KORTJIE Golden Stars (Eastern Cape), Nelly GAMEDE Leandre Ladies FC (Mpumalanga), Jolaine MOUERS Spurs FC (Western Cape), Nabeelah GALANT University of Cape Town (Western Cape), Sonika MZINGELI Cape Town Roses FC (Western Cape), Tiyana CAROLLESSEN Vasco Da Gama FC (Western Cape)
STRIKERS: Christy NOBLE High Performance Centre (Gauteng), Inathi MAKAYA Thunderbirds FC (KwaZulu Natal), Oyisa MARHAZI Eluhulwini FC (Eastern Cape)
