Three Stellenbosch University (SU) students were recently selected to represent South Africa at the Women’s Hockey Africa Cup of Nations.
This is according to Lenise Marais, head coach of the Maties women’s hockey club and of the selected players.
Jeanri Thomas, an MA (Industrial Engineering) student at Stellenbosch University, was recently selected to play for the South African Women’s Hockey team in the Women’s Hockey Africa Cup of Nations, which will be taking place in October, she said. PHOTO: Sebastiaan Whitward
The South African Hockey Association announced on 12 August that Jeanri Thomas, an MA (Industrial Engineering) student, Caylin Maree, who’s busy with a postgraduate certificate in education, and Ongeziwe Mali, a Bachelor of Education student, were selected to play for the South African Women’s Hockey team, according to Marais.
They will compete in the 2025 Women’s Hockey Africa Cup of Nations, which will be held in Egypt from 11 to 18 October, according to Thomas.
All three selected players play for the Maties women’s hockey club, according to Marais.
‘My first time’
Teams from across Africa will be competing against each other, with the winning team qualifying to compete in the 2026 Hockey World Cup, which will take place in the Netherlands, according to Maree.
Maree and Thomas said that this will be their first time playing in the Women’s Hockey Africa Cup of Nations.
But this will be Mali’s second time competing, her debut being last year, according to Marais.
“I’ve represented the junior team at two Africa cups and two junior world cups,” said Maree. “But this will be my first time in a senior national team.”
Maree said that their main focus at the moment is completing the Western Province league games, which end on 31 August.
Timeline of Caylin Maree’s 2025 hockey progression. The information is according to Maree, who is a Maties hockey player. “I’ve played in the [Women’s Junior Africa Cup], where we won gold and qualified for the [Women’s Fédération Internationale de Hockey Junior World Cup], which will be held at the end of this year,” said Maree. She also said that she competed in the SA Hockey Interprovincial Tournament (IPT) in July, where she was scouted to play for the South African Women’s Hockey team at the Women’s Hockey Africa Cup of Nations in October. INFOGRAPHIC: Iman Allie
The lead-up
Maties women’s hockey’s strength and conditioning trainers will continue to work with the three selected players as part of general training, according to Marais.
Maree, who will be playing as a striker in the tournament, said that she will be going to the gym and will be doing her own extra exercises to maintain her fitness.
Thomas will be cycling to stay fit and will prepare for the tournament through Maties training sessions and practising during matches, she said.
While Thomas said that she is unsure of her position, she suspects she will be playing left back.
Maties Hockey’s astro turf, which is located on the Coetzenburg sports grounds in Stellenbosch. PHOTO: Iman Allie
“Caylin has a good all-round game. She is dynamic in possession, scores, goals, and defends well,” said Marais. “Jeanri is a fast and skilful player. She is a good defender.”
“Ongeziwe is a skillful and fast goal scorer,” she said.
SMF News also reached out to Mali, but she declined to comment.
Although Zimbabwe won the first ever Women’s Hockey Africa Cup of Nations in 1990, the South African Women’s Hockey team has won seven consecutive tournaments since 1994, according to the South African Hockey Association website. INFOGRAPHIC: Iman Allie