1958 — According to a report in the Rand Daily Mail, a goalkeeper in a match in England, while his team was 11-0 up, was booked for lighting up a cigarette mid-game. His team, playing in a junior league, won 19-0.
1980 — Teenager Patricia Butcher slaughters the men to become the first and so far only woman to win the Midmar Mile. Competing in this open-water race for the first time at 15 years old, Butcher raced to victory in an 18 minutes 11 seconds women’s record, which was also 7.6 seconds quicker than the men’s mark. Butcher attributed her victory to swimming the most direct route at a time when there were fewer buoys to guide swimmers. Butcher went on to win three straight Midmar women’s crowns and also enjoyed success in the pool, holding national records in the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle. She never competed at Midmar after her third and final 1982 victory, relocating to the US to study before settling down there.
2000 — Bafana Bafana are beaten 0-2 by hosts Nigeria in their Africa Cup of Nations semifinal in Lagos. South Africa conceded the first goal within the opening minute after Thabo Mngomeni, playing in place of suspended Eric Tinkler, failed to clear the ball quickly and Tijani Babangida pounced for an early 1-0 lead. Babangida scored the second goal in the 34th minute.
2013 — Dane van Niekerk’s 17 is the highest contribution as the South African women, dismissed for 77, lose their World Cup Super Six match against England in Cuttack by seven wickets.
2017 — Hashim Amla scores 154 off 134 balls and Quinton de Kock 109 from 87 as the Proteas amass 384/6 before beating Sri Lanka by 88 runs in the fifth and final ODI at Centurion for a 5-0 series clean sweep. Chris Morris took 4/31.
2018 — Heinrich Klaasen scores an unbeaten 43 off 27 balls as the Proteas beat India by five wickets on Duckworth-Lewis in the fourth ODI at the Wanderers, pulling back to 1-3 in the six-match series. The home side needed 202 runs from 28 overs.
2018 — Mignon du Preez scores an unbeaten 90 and Laura Wolvaardt 59 as the South African women, needing 241, beat India by seven wickets with four balls to go in the third and final ODI in Potchefstroom. The visitors won the series 2-1.
2020 — Lizelle Lee scores 25 as the South African women are bowled out for 102 to lose the fourth T20 against New Zealand in Wellington by 69 runs and with it the series 1-3.
2023 — Sune Luus’s 28 is the top score as the South African women are held to 126/9 to lose their opening T20 World Cup match against Sri Lanka at Newlands by three runs.
2024 — Bafana Bafana finish third at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in ivory Coast, beating DRC 6-5 on penalties after the match had ended in a goalless draw. Teboho Mokoena failed to score South Africa’s first shy in the shoot-out, but Nkosinathi Sibisi, Thabang Monare, Aubrey Modiba, Zakhele Lepasa, Oswin Appollis and Siyanda Xulu netted six in a row to seal the team’s best finish at the continental tournament since 2000.
2024 — Masabata Klaas takes 4/56, but the South African women, chasing a revised target of 238 from 31 overs, lose the third and final ODI against Australia at North Sydney Oval by 110 runs after being dismissed for 127.
2025 — Matthew Breetzke makes 150 off 148 balls to help the Proteas to 304/6, but an unbeaten 133 from 113 deliveries by Kane Williamson see New Zealand winning this triangular series match in Lahore by six wickets.
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