Hildah Magaia grateful for her Forbes Africa 30 under 30 special recognition

By Mpumi Manyisi
16th May 2024

Mazatlan FC Feminil and Banyana Banyana forward Hildah Magaia says she is grateful to be recognised as one of the most influential youth public figures in Africa, after the Forbes Africa 30 under 30 nod.

The 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations winner joins Springbok women player Nadine Roos, two-time Rugby World Cup winner Damian Willemse and sprinter Shaun Maswanganyi in the prestigious 2024 Forbes Africa 30 under 30 list, the special recognition is for their elite achievements and contribution in sport.

Magia says this accolade means a great deal to her.

"It really means a lot to me to be recognised as one of the most influential individuals in Africa. It came as a shock, it came as a surprise but it really means a lot to me," Magaia said.

The 29-year-old forward is enjoying a great spell in the Liga MX Femenil in Mexico, having scored four goals with five assists for Mazatlan this season. She shared with SABC Sport that she is having the time of her life playing alongside her South African teammate Sinoxolo Cesane.

"So far, so good, I'm having a great time with my team. I'm enjoying each and every moment that I get to spend there. More especially for the fact that I have Sinoxolo with me which makes things easy for me because I have somebody who understands me. I have somebody I can be able to communicate with in my language, so it's really amazing," she explained.

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The former Sejong Sportstoto WFC forward further unpacked her first World Cup experience - finishing in the quarter finals with Banyana Banyana last year, stating that competing against the world’s best has made her a better player and this has attributed to how she conducts herself on and off the field.

"Playing in the World Cup has really given me a lot of lessons more especially considering that it was my first World Cup as an individual. So, it has really given me the insight on how it is to play on the biggest stage in the world. I'm really grafetul for that opportunity and I can say I've grasped a lot of things from the World Cup, more especially when it comes to playing against the best of the best in the world."