5 September 2018 – Refiloe Jane expressed her gratitude after winning the Gauteng Sportswoman of the Year accolade saying the success would not have been possible without the support of her teammates she played with in both club and country.

Jane was nominated in two categories, Gauteng Sportswoman and Personality of the Year, only falling short to win the later after wheelchair tennis star, Kgothatso Motjane was crowned winner in the latter category.

The Banyana Banyana star midfielder, who is in camp with the national women’s team currently preparing for the upcoming COSAFA Women’s Championship which will take place from 12 – 22 September in Port Elizabeth, said she felt overwhelmed by the congratulatory messages she has been receiving since the night of the awards.

“The last few days have really been hectic, I mean compliments-wise; people from all walks of life have been sending me congratulatory messages on winning the award,” Jane said with a smile.“I never thought I would receive so much love, it is humbling. I promise them that I will continue to work hard and making them proud.”

Jane added: “I have to admit that it is not easy to stand out and be counted as one of the best, especially playing a sport which requires collective effort. In my case, I have been very fortunate to have played with hard working teammates in both club (TUT Ladies FC) and country (Banyana Banyana). They contributed massively in seeing me scoop this award.”

Meanwhile, Jane added she is looking forward to her move abroad where she will be plying her trade for Australian professional women’s league side, Canberra United FC, in the coming season. However, the 26-year old midfielder stated that her primary focus is now centred on helping Banyana defend their COSAFA title which they won last year.“I want to help Banyana defend this COSAFA Women’s Championship title,” Jane said. “That is where my focus is at the moment. It would really be nice if we can win this tournament back-to-back. That is what we all want here. We will be playing in front of our home supporters and that should give us a jump start.”