Story by Mthokozisi Dube
THE 2026 Confederation of Universities and Colleges Sports Association (CUCSA) Games, scheduled for June 28 to July 6 in Gaborone, Botswana, are expected to draw participation from more than seven countries, signalling a significant expansion from previous editions.
The announcement followed the annual CUCSA general meeting in Gaborone, which reviewed the host nation’s preparedness and discussed competition regulations. Traditionally a five-nation tournament, the games have seen countries such as Namibia, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Angola absent in recent years due to organisational challenges.
CUCSA president, Mwape Mnchimbi, confirmed the return of some of these nations.
“The 2026 CUCSA edition will be held in Botswana in Gaborone, with the last edition having been staged in Pretoria. We expect that this year’s edition will attract a huge number of participating countries as opposed to the usual five. University and college sport has not been easy to organise and coordinate from country to country. Countries like Mozambique, Namibia and Angola have been missing in action due to organisational challenges. After a lot of engagements, we can confirm that Eswatini has come on board. They attended the AGM and have assured us that they will participate, so we are expecting seven or more countries. We inspected the venues and were satisfied with the state of preparedness.”
Zimbabwe was represented by Zimbabwe Tertiary Institutions Sports president Edward Chekure, who expressed optimism that Botswana will stage a memorable edition.
“The ball is now rolling after our AGM. We are happy to note that the University of Botswana has put in good preparations for this year’s edition. We inspected the games village and were satisfied. We now need to ensure that we compete through our sub-associations as we hope to select the best athletes to represent Zimbabwe in Botswana,” Chekure said.
The host nation is equally honoured to be staging the regional tournament on home soil.
“As Botswana, we are ready for the regional tournament. We feel honoured to be hosting this year and we continue building momentum while fine-tuning our preparations ahead of the biggest sporting bonanza,” host president Keorapetse Setlhare noted.
The CUCSA Games, which bring together student-athletes from universities and colleges across Southern Africa, will run from June 28 to July 6, with competitions across multiple sporting disciplines.
