Story by Anashe Murombedzi
THE curtain came down on the COSANA Club Championship in Harare this Monday after providing Southern African netball clubs with a preparation platform ahead of the 2027 Netball World Cup Africa Qualifiers set for Kenya in September.
Clubs from across the region used the tournament as a benchmark to assess their readiness for the continental qualifiers, with the competition offering valuable match practice against high-quality opposition.
“Many of the players here are in the national teams, so they are preparing themselves for the regional qualifiers where four slots at the World Cup are reserved for African teams. For us as COSANA, we believe we are boosting these athletes by giving them exposure to get into the national teams,” COSANA Secretary General Imelda Nerongo said.
As hosts, Zimbabwe fielded five teams at the regional tournament alongside 11 clubs from Lesotho, Zambia, Eswatini and Namibia.
After missing out on the final, Zimbabwean sides battled for bronze, with Chapungu defeating Makate 45-39 to finish third.
The title went to Zambia’s Buffaloes, who maintained their unbeaten run with a commanding 45-31 victory over compatriots NAPSA in the final.
