South Africa dash Gems’ hopes of third successive Netball World Cup berth

ZIMBABWE senior women’s netball team, The Gems’ push for a third straight Netball World Cup appearance hit turbulence on Sunday after a 58-41 defeat to South Africa in their second Group One outing at the Africa Netball Cup at Kasarani Indoor Arena in Nairobi, Kenya.

The loss came just 24 hours after Zimbabwe had made a statement in their opener, powering past Botswana 57-39 to kick off their campaign in style.

Against the Proteas, the Gems were second-best from the first whistle. South Africa, who had hammered Tanzania 90-22 in their first match, raced to a 14-6 lead after the opening quarter and never looked back.

The Southern African giants doubled down in the second period, stretching their cushion to 29-17 by halftime.

Zimbabwe came out with more fight after the interval, matching South Africa for large spells and adding 13 goals in the third quarter. But the Proteas still held all the cards, taking a 44-30 lead into the final quarter before sealing a 17-goal win.

The result was a reminder of the 2022 qualifiers in Pretoria, when Zimbabwe opened with a 49-41 win over Botswana and followed it with a 45-41 victory over Namibia in a group that also featured South Africa, Tanzania and Botswana.

This time the script started the same way. Zimbabwe again faced Botswana first and again delivered, even more emphatically, leading 27-20 at the break before pulling clear 46-27 in the third quarter on the back of a tight defensive unit and composed attack. Coach Ropafadzo Mutsauki also used the match to blood new caps.

South Africa, however, provided a reality check.

Ranked fifth in the world, the Proteas have already booked their ticket to Sydney 2027 via world rankings. Zimbabwe, 11th globally and fourth in Africa as of September 1, must fight for one of the remaining continental slots on offer in Nairobi.

Uganda, like South Africa, had already qualified for Sydney through rankings before the tournament, leaving the rest of the field to battle for the remaining African berths.

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