By Tapiwa Chawagarira
NAIROBI, Kenya — The Zimbabwe Gems’ bid for a third successive Netball World Cup appearance suffered a setback on Sunday after they were beaten 58-41 by South Africa in their second Group One match of the Africa Netball Cup at the Kasarani Indoor Arena.
The result came a day after Zimbabwe had opened their campaign in impressive fashion, defeating Botswana 57-39. This leaves the Gems with work to do as the battle for the remaining African places at the 2027 Netball World Cup intensifies.
South Africa, who are already assured of a place at the Sydney tournament through their world ranking, took control from the opening quarter and led 14-6 after the first 15 minutes.
The Proteas maintained their grip on the contest in the second quarter, extending their advantage to 29-17 at half-time.
Zimbabwe showed greater resistance after the break, scoring 13 goals in the third quarter, but South Africa remained in control and entered the final quarter with a 44-30 advantage before closing out a 17-goal victory.
The defeat brought back memories of Zimbabwe’s 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign in Pretoria, where the Gems shared Pool A with South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Tanzania.
Four years ago, Zimbabwe began that campaign with a 49-41 victory over Botswana before beating Namibia 45-41 in their second match.
This time around, the opening chapter has followed a similar pattern.
The Gems again started against Botswana and again produced a convincing victory — although the margin was even greater, with Zimbabwe winning 57-39 in Nairobi.
That victory was built around a strong defensive display and disciplined attacking play, with coach Ropafadzo Mutsauki able to give several newcomers valuable international exposure. The Gems led 27-20 at half-time before pulling away in the third quarter to establish a 46-27 advantage.
But the South African challenge proved a different proposition.
The Proteas arrived in the encounter after crushing Tanzania 90-22 in their opening match and continued their impressive start against Zimbabwe.
South Africa’s world ranking has already secured their place at Sydney 2027, with the Proteas sitting fifth in the latest World Netball rankings, while Zimbabwe were ranked 11th globally and fourth in Africa as of September 1.
The Nairobi tournament doubles as the African qualifier for the 2027 Netball World Cup, with the remaining qualification places to be decided among the eligible teams competing for the continental slots. South Africa and Uganda had already secured their World Cup places through the ranking pathway before the tournament.
