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Proteas book final spot at Africa Netball Cup after Zimbabwe win

13 December 2025 17:56
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© Netball South Africa

The SPAR Proteas have booked their spot in the 2025 Africa Netball Cup final after beating Zimbabwe 84-32 in Lilongwe, Malawi, on Saturday.

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After completing their group stage matches without tasting defeat, the Proteas were well under way to securing their place in the finals on Sunday.

For that to happen, they’d need to go through Zimbabwe first in the last four match.

South Africa were the dominant of the two nations in the first quarter of the match.

It was composed start from the Proteas, who settled quickly and applied early pressure. 

Zimbabwe responded with intensity, keeping the opening exchanges competitive, but South Africa edged ahead by the end of the quarter with a

Coach Jenny van Dyk made just two changes to the side that beat Botswana, bringing in half-centurion Elmeré van der Berg in place of Rolene Streutker.

Refiloe Nketsa was introduced at wing defence, while Jamie van Wyk replaced Sanmarie Visser at goal defence, adding experience and versatility at the back.

The Proteas continued their dominance in the second quarter – they picked up the pace exactly where they left it at the end of the first quarter.

They showed sharper ball movement and sustained defensive pressure.

Zimbabwe continued to compete with intent, but South Africa maintained firm control heading into halftime

Van Dyk made no changes at the start of the quarter, allowing her starting combination to settle before introducing rotations later on.

Tarle Mathe proved a constant thorn in the side of the Gems’ defence, feeding the shooting circle with a mix of direct passes, aerial loop balls and flair.

At the back, the defensive pairing of Nicola Smith and Jamie van Wyk remained composed and alert, contesting every Zimbabwean attacking effort.

South Africa added 22 goals in the quarter, while Zimbabwe contributed nine, extending the Proteas’ lead at the break.

The Proteas continued to assert their dominance in the third quarter, maintaining a high work rate and clinical execution across the court.

South Africa remained composed in possession and capitalised on turnovers, extending their lead through disciplined defence and sharp finishing in the shooting circle.

The Proteas coach rotated her bench during the quarter, introducing fresh legs with Rolene Streutker at goal shooter, Kamogelo Maseko shifting from wing attack to goal attack, Kyla Dames at wing attack and Juanita van Tonder at goal keeper, while ensuring the team’s structure and intensity remained intact.

South Africa added a further 20 goals in the quarter with the new shooting combination, while Zimbabwe managed seven as the Proteas headed into the final quarter firmly in control at 60-23.

Van Dyk continued to rotate her line-up at the start of the fourth quarter, introducing Elmeré van der Berg at goal attack, Owethu Ngubane at wing attack and Kyla Dames at centre.

The Proteas closed out the match with confidence, maintaining their structure, intensity, and composure under pressure to secure an emphatic 84-32 victory over the Zimbabwe Gems.

The 52-goal margin marked a new record win, surpassing the previous best of 51 goals (78–27) achieved in 2021 in Windhoek during the same tournament.

South Africa advanced to the final after a dominant campaign, recording pool-stage victories over Tanzania (104-25), Malawi (58-38), and Botswana (67-31), before overcoming Zimbabwe in the semifinal.

The Proteas will now face Uganda in Sunday’s final.

Goal defence Jamie van Wyk was named as the player of the match.

Earlier in the day, the Proteas Men edged past a determined Kenya Men’s team with a narrow 46-41 win, booking their place in the men’s final against Zimbabwe.

The South African men are defending champions.

Fixtures – Sunday, 14 December

4pm – South Africa Men v Zimbabwe Men

6pm – South Africa Women v Uganda Women

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