IN A YEAR where Banyana Banyana have been SA soccer's shining stars, Ephraim "Shakes" Mashaba's Amajimbos also ensured they ended the year on a high.

The SA Under-17 side were crowned champions of the Zone VI Games - a southern Africa youth competition - after beating hosts Zambia in Lusaka at the weekend.

Having gone into the halfway mark of the game trailing 1-0, Amajimbos showed fighting spirit in the second half to win gold with a 2-1 victory.

A satisfied Mashaba said: "We did not travel all the way to Zambia for nothing. We came here to win - to win gold."

The South African side ended the competition unbeaten after pushing past Malawi, Botswana and the Seychelles, and a 0-0 draw with Zambia in the group stages. They then registered a 3-0 win against Angola in the semifinals.