By Tapiwa Chawagarira
Zimbabwe’s senior women’s handball team finished third at the Zone VI IHF Nations Trophy after crushing South Africa 31-9 in the third-place play-off in Lusaka, Zambia, on Saturday.
The Gems bounced back strongly from their 36-24 semi-final defeat to hosts Zambia to secure a podium finish and end their regional campaign on a winning note.
Zimbabwe had advanced to the semi-finals after finishing second in Group B behind eventual finalists Mozambique. They opened their campaign with a dominant 63-7 victory over Lesotho before suffering a 37-27 defeat to Mozambique. They recovered to beat Malawi 32-24 in their final group match, a result that secured their place in the last four.
Their semi-final against Zambia proved a tougher assignment, with the hosts controlling the contest to win 36-24 and book their place in the final.
Zimbabwe responded emphatically in the bronze-medal match, producing a commanding defensive display that restricted South Africa to just nine goals while scoring 31 to claim third place.
The victory provided a strong response from the Zimbabweans following their semi-final setback and ensured they ended the tournament with a medal.
The inaugural senior women’s IHF Nations Trophy Africa Zone VI tournament featured eight nations — Zambia, South Africa, Namibia, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi and Lesotho — with the teams divided into two groups of four. The top two sides in each group progressed to the semi-finals.
Zambia went on to win the tournament after defeating Mozambique 26-19 in the final. Their triumph also earned them qualification for the 2026 CAHB Africa Women’s Handball Championship.
For Zimbabwe, the bronze-medal finish represents a positive conclusion to their regional campaign, with the team showing resilience to recover from their semi-final defeat and finish among the top three teams in the competition.
