A lot has been done in SA women and junior national teams since the country attained democracy 25 years ago.
World Cup and Olympics qualifications demonstrate the strides that have been taken, but the reality that the country has not won any of these international competitions means there's still a long way to go.
In the democratic era, Banyana Banyana have qualified for the Olympics on two occasions.
Their maiden appearance at these games was in London, England, in 2012, before accomplishing the same feat in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, four years later.
Prior to securing their maiden World Cup spot this year, playing twice at the Olympics was Banyana's biggest achievement, despite failing to advance beyond the group phase at either occasion.
SA sealed their first World Cup berth via finishing as runners-up at the Africa Women's Cup of Nations in Ghana last year. Though it's a less-fancied competition, Banyana have won the Cosafa Cup five times in the autonomous age.
It's also worth a mention that 25 years into democracy, Banyana have had two of their players winning the coveted Africa Women's Footballer of the Year prize.
Noko Matlou is the country's pioneer in this regard after walking away with this top gong in 2008. Thembi Kgatlana emulated her this year.
You would expect former Banyana mentor Joseph "Skheshekheshe" Mkhonza to rate leading the senior team to their first Olympics as his proudest moment as women's football coach.
But for Skheshekheshe, going to the 2010 Fifa Under-17 World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago as an assistant coach to Solly Luvhengo takes the cake.
However, Mkhonza still sees this feat as a monumental moment as it was the first time, across all levels, that the SA women's team play at the international showpiece.
"Yes I was the first coach to take Banyana to the Olympics - it was a big thing. But the highlight of my career is the 2010 World Cup with Bantwana because it was the first time a South African women's team played at the World Cup . to be part of that was special,'' Mkhonza said.
Skheshekheshe, 65, believes the experience gained in Trinidad and Tobago should have been utilised as a foundation, implying the SA Football Association (Safa) ignored the recommendations made after returning from this youth World Cup.
"We conceded 17 goals and scored one . it was a massive learning curve. That experience was supposed to curve a way forward for women's football. After the tournament we, as coaches, attended a workshop,'' Mkhonza reflected.
"When we arrived home we made recommendations, but the association [Safa] did not take appropriate steps to make sure we use all we had learnt going forward."
It's almost the same story with the men's junior national teams, negotiating their way past the group stages at international tournaments remains a hurdle.
Amajita, the U-20 side, are the only junior national team to have advanced through the knockout stage at the World Cup.
They achieved this at the 2009 edition in Egypt under coach Serame Letsoaka. At that time, the side boasted players like Thulani Serero, Darren Keet and Thulani Hlatshwayo, among others.
The trio has gone on to graduate to Bafana Bafana and they are still some of the key members in the current senior team, with the latter captaining the Stuart Baxter-coached side.
Amajita also qualified for this year's World Cup, starting in Poland from May 23 to June 15. It will be their third international spectacle as they were also in South Korea in 2017.
The U-23 team has qualified for the Olympics twice as well but they have never progressed to the knockout phase at either occasion.
Shakes Mashaba was the first man to inspire SA to these games back in the year 2000 at Sydney in Australia.
Owen da Gama replicated this achievement three years ago in Rio de Janeiro.