BANYANA Banyana coach Vera Pauw has been a noticeable absentee at the the Sasol League National Championship, where the cream of South Africa's women's football crop has been slugging it out.

The Dutch-born mentor was set to arrive today, but has missed the bulk of the tournament with only the semifinals and the third-place playoff taking place today at Isaac Wolfsons Stadium in KwaZakhele.

Former Banyana Banyana coach Joseph Mkhonza said he was surprised by Pauw's absence from a tournament as important as the championships.

It is the highest tier of women's football in South Africa, which is not professional.

"Where are you going to get the players you need if you don't spend your time at these tournaments? Because that is where you scout and pick the players," Mkhonza said.

"The national championships is where I got the majority of the players and I also made sure that I attended each and every roadshow because you don't get to see all of the players during the championships.

" I don't know how Vera Pauw works but I know she doesn't do the roadshows. I don't know why she doesn't."

Mkhonza, who took Banyana to the Olympics and also helped them to a second-place finish at the 2012 African Women's Championship in Equatorial Guinea, did not want to be drawn into discussing Pauw's contract extension, despite failing on her qualification mandate.

Attempts to get comment from SA Football Association president Danny Jordaan and head of communications Dominic Chimhavi drew a blank yesterday, with the latter saying he was out of the country.

l Khanyiso is in Port Elizabeth courtesy of Sasol