daniel chigunwe
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE sport had another busy time in 2024.
There were victories and deaths, as well as big sporting events, such as the Paris Olympics, a historic Boxing Day Test match for the Chevrons and a voyage for the Gems to Glasgow in Scotland.
The country bade farewell to football’s Ernest Kamba, Norman Maroto and Nelson Matongorere, while also welcoming future stars in Edward Sigauke for the Zimbabwe Sables, Brian Bennett for the Chevrons and El Shaddai Sadomba on the football pitch.
To say 2024 was a year of mixed fortunes would be an understatement, as there were positives for every negative, success stories for every failure and a lot of ups and downs along the way.
Below is a rundown of major highlights from some of the country’s sporting disciplines.
Football
The Premier Soccer League kicked off with Ngezi Platinum Stars winning the Castle Challenge Cup in February and ended on November 30, when Dynamos successfully defended the Chibuku Super Cup.
Incidentally, the two teams met in the finals of both tournaments, as DeMbare lost the Castle Challenge Cup in Mhondoro before triumphing in the Chibuku Super Cup.
However, the major highlight of the season was Simba Bhora’s historic feat.
The Shamva-based side won their maiden Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title in only their second season in the topflight.
They were duly crowned in Kariba on November 30. A few days later, Simba Bhora skipper Walter Musona was crowned Soccer Star of the Year, joining the late Stanley Ndunduma as the only two players to win the gong with two different teams.
Ndunduma won it with CAPS United and Black Rhinos in 1981 and 1985, respectively, while Musona was the best player in 2022 when he led FC Platinum to their fourth league title in a row.
Another major highlight was Zimbabwe’s qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals, which will be hosted in Morocco in December.
The Warriors finished the second best team in a group that included leaders Cameroon, Kenya and Namibia.
That atoned for a poor showing in the World Cup qualifiers in which the Warriors slumped to an embarrassing low when they lost to minnows Lesotho in June.
They also lost 3-1 against South Africa and before that, the Warriors had drawn against Rwanda and Nigeria in March, to cap off a poor start to their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. However, the appointment of German coach Michael Nees, who was unveiled in August, changed the script as the expatriate masterminded Zimbabwe’s qualification to the AFCON finals.
This would be the Warriors sixth appearance at the AFCON finals.
Continental safari
Ngezi Platinum Stars and Dynamos represented Zimbabwe in the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup, respectively, but both sides failed to reach the money-spinning group stage.
DeMbare will get another crack at the Confederation Cup again this year after winning a second Chibuku Super Cup in a row.
Simba Bhora will play in the Champions League.
Zimbabwe women’s football champions Herentals Queens also played in the CAF Champions League COSAFA qualifiers but crashed out at the quarterfinal stage after losing 0-1 to Gaborone United of Botswana in Malawi. Sadly, along the course of the year, the football fraternity was plunged into mourning with the deaths of former Dynamos star players Ernest Kamba and Norman Maroto, as well as former ZIFA technical director Nelson Matongorere.
Maroto died on June 28 after a short illness.
He was 41.
Kamba died in Norton on October 28 at the age of 76, while Matongorere passed away in Harare on May 23.
Bummer
A new coach, Sithetheliwe “Kwinji 15” Sibanda, was appointed to take charge of the Mighty Warriors, who crashed out in the group stage of the Hollywood Bets COSAFA Championship held in South Africa in October.
Similarly, the national Under-17 boys’ team failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON Under-17 finals after losing 0-2 against Angola in the semifinals of the COSAFA qualifiers held in Johannesburg early December.
However, Zimbabwe striker El Shaddai Sadomba claimed the Golden Boot after banging five goals, providing a silver lining to the disappointing show.
For the local football fraternity, the year 2025 has since kicked off in a frenzy as the ZIFA election season gets into full swing.
Elections are set to be held on January 25.
The frenzy is perhaps at the same level as the one that gripped the local Premiership when Khama Billiat made a sensational move to Yadah Stars at the beginning of the season.
There were also a few subplots for the country’s biggest and most supported sport as the year 2024 witnessed the return of football at Rufaro Stadium after a five-year absence.
There was also joy for the girl child when Walter Magaya unveiled a US$320 000 sponsorship deal for the Women’s Premier Soccer League in August.
Netball
In recent times, 2024 was arguably one of the best years for netball.
For the first time, the Zimbabwe Netball Association (ZNA), through their all-weather friend and principal sponsor Nedbank, took the ladies senior national team to Scotland on tour.
The Gems finished the tournament in third place at the inaugural Celtic Cup, which was held at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, while Welsh Feathers and Scottish Thistles were crowned the gold and silver medallists, respectively.
The Celtic Cup was created by Netball Northern Ireland, Netball Scotland and Wales Netball to provide the best competitive tournament for athletes and spectators alike outside the World Cup and Commonwealth Games.
And for the first time, Zimbabwe were able to travel and take part in such a big competition.
Proving that this was a highly beneficial tour, the Gems proceeded to beat regional powerhouses Uganda and Malawi, for the first time, at the African Championships in Namibia in December.
Despite finishing the tournament as bronze medallists behind South Africa and Uganda, the Gems’ highlight was to beat the two regional giants.
Boxing
The year 2024 began on a high note, with rising boxer Aliyah Phiri successfully defending his African Boxing Union (ABU) Lightweight title.
It, however, ended on a sad note as the star boxer was stripped of his belt after failing a doping test.
After defending his ABU title against Saidi Mkola of Tanzania, via a unanimous points decision, in Harare on March 23, Phiri unfortunately tested positive for furosemide.
Furosemide is a prohibited substance under Section S1.1 of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
According to WADA, the substance is a performance enhancer and can also be used to mask other banned substances.
Subsequently, Phiri was stripped of his ABU title in November, while his last defence against Mkola was declared a non-contest.
“Issa Aliyah Phiri has accepted the charges related to the ADRV (Anti-Doping Rule Violation) and acknowledges the consequences of his actions.
“Consequently, he will serve a period of ineligibility of two (2) years, retroactively effective from 22 March 2024 to 21 March 2026,” wrote the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee.
They further explained the nature of the boxer’s ban.
“This period includes disqualification of all results obtained since 22 March 2024, along with all resulting consequences.
“However, having accepted the consequences by 21 October 2024, Phiri’s period of ineligibility has been reduced by one year.”
Effectively, Phiri’s ban now runs from March 2024 to March 2025.
It also means Phiri is now a one-and-a-half-star boxer, down from a three-star rating.
November was indeed a bad month for Zimbabwean boxers, as Tatenda Biningu was also stripped of his World Boxing Federation (WBF) intercontinental title for participating under the banner of a rival sanctioning body.
After successfully defending his WBF belt against Sadiki Momba in Harare in July, Biningu went on to lose a World Boxing Organisation Africa Featherweight championship fight against Namibian Mateus Heita in Windhoek on November 16.
He took part in this fight without the consent of the WBF, where he also held a title.
WBF president Howard Goldberg described Biningu’s stance as foolish before announcing the body’s decision.
“What’s so unfortunate about it all is the fact that he and his team never saw the need to seek permission (to fight for the WBO) as a gesture of courtesy, of respect.
“So, I have no more time for him; he has made a choice . . . it was a bad choice any way that has now cost him his career,” said Goldberg.
However, it was not all gloomy as Hassan “Star Boy” Milanzi managed to land the WBF International Super Bantamweight title via TKO against Clifford Antafu of Malawi in Harare on November 9.
The bill, which was promoted by Otto Boxing and BoxFit, also saw Nyasha Hwata becoming the first national super welterweight champion in years after accounting for Tinofadzwa Chikerema.
Female pugilist Monika Mkandla maintained her rise with two victories during the year.
The Gwanda-bred boxer is based in South Africa.
She improved her record to 7-0-0 when she defeated Asandiswa Nxokwana of South Africa on October 26.
Mkandla had won the ABU/SADC belt on June 22, when she beat Egine Kayange in Johannesburg.
It was a different story for former WBC Interim Super Bantamweight champion Kudakwashe “Take Money” Chiwandire, who struggled to get fights.
When she finally got one, she lost on points against Russian Karina Tazabekova on December 4.
That was her first fight since March 2023, when she lost a WBC gold belt match against world champion Yamileth Mercado of Mexico.
Rugby
Rugby seemed to have had a good year as the Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) ushered in a new era with seasoned administrator Losson Mtongwiza taking over the reins.
Mtongwiza landed the ZRU president post at the 129th annual general meeting held in May.
He took over from Aaron Jani, whom he beat in a closely contested race that featured four candidates, including Gerald Sibanda and Gilbert Nyamutsamba.
It took one vote for Mtongwiza to claim the pole post after he amassed seven votes, one ahead of Jani, who got six, with the other two candidates — Sibanda and Nyamutsamba — managing three and one, respectively.
The sport also welcomed back former Zimbabwe international Piet Benade, who was appointed Sables’ interim coach and quickly guided the team to their best run in years.
The Sables were crowned African champions.
Apart from the joy of conquering old foes Namibia on his way to leading the Sables to the Africa Cup success, Benade also had the joy of seeing growing interest from Zimbabwe’s diaspora talent, including from players such as Ian Prior and Kyle Godwin.
“Yes, 2024 was fortunately a very positive year,” Benade said.
“The Africa Cup campaign in Uganda was probably the pinnacle, but also we worked hard to get our sides out to Manicaland and Bulawayo to play matches in the provinces that have not seen their local teams up against the top players in the country in many years,” he said.
“Getting the Sables back onto the field after two years without a Test match was the biggest win for us.”
The team finished the year unbeaten, with successful tours to Uganda for the Africa Cup, Zambia for Test matches and, most importantly, a trip to the Middle East and Asia.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Shaun De Souza and the Junior Sables outfit as they lost to Kenya in the final of last year’s Barthes Trophy in Zimbabwe.
The agonising loss on home soil saw the Zimbabwe Under-20 team miss out on last year’s Junior World Trophy.
Athletics
It was a fairly good year for athletics, with some noticeable improvements and achievements despite some limitations, which mainly had to do with sponsorship.
The National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ) provided athletes for Team Zimbabwe at the African Games in Accra, Ghana, in March, which also served as a qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
While the athletes missed the entry standards for the Games, athletics contributed two medals through long-distance runner Isaac Mpofu and United States-based hurdler Ashley Kamangirira.
They picked up bronze medals in the half marathon and 100m women’s hurdles.
It was a step in the right direction, having failed to contribute a medal at the 2019 Games, although there were a number of athletes as part of Team Zimbabwe.
NAAZ went on to field a 10-member team at the Africa Senior Championships in Doula, Cameroon, in June and got two silver medals from triple jumper Chengetayi Mapaya and sprinter Tapiwanashe Makarawu (200m).
It also marked an improvement from the 2022 edition, where the 4x100m men’s relay team picked up bronze in Mauritius.
Prior to the continental meet, Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba had ran competitive times on their way to qualifying for the Olympic Games held from July 26 to August 11 last year.
They went on to prove their qualification was not a fluke when reaching the 200m men’s final, where Makarawu finished sixth and Charamba eighth.
They were both making their debut appearance at the global multi-sport showpiece.
Mpofu also made an impression at the Games when finishing 19th in the men’s marathon.
He was also making his maiden appearance at the Games.
NAAZ had four athletes who were part of Zimbabwe’s team at the Olympics, including Rutendo Nyahora.
But Nyahora, competing for the second time at the Games, failed to finish the women’s marathon.
NAAZ president Tendayi Tagara described the season as one of their best in terms of athletes’ performance.
“I think 2024 was one of our best seasons in terms of performance of our athletes,” he said.
“One, the African Games, we were able to get medals, and prior to that, we started the year very well. If you look at it, the Africa Senior Championship, we medalled again.
“I think the climax of our season was the Olympics, where we were able to be in the finals of the 200m.
“We were only two countries out of 214 countries that had two athletes in the finals of the 200m of the Olympics, ourselves and the USA. That was a great performance.”
NAAZ also had more juniors meeting the qualifying standards for the World Under-20 Championships held in Lima, Peru, in August.
In terms of the juniors, eight athletes qualified for the World Juniors for the first time.
Unfortunately, some of them did not manage to travel because of limited resources.
Golf
Zimbabwe’s professional golfing duo of brothers Kieran and Scott Vincent might have been relegated from LIV Golf but they did well enough to raise the country’s flag high on the international stage.
The Vincent brothers also managed to take part in the Zimbabwe Open for the first time in years, adding some local flavour to a tournament that has of late been dominated by foreign-based players.
They made history as the only brother duo in the LIV Golf league.
Kieran, who won the 2023 International Series Vietnam, joined his elder brother Scott after turning professional in 2022.
Playing under the Legion X111, Kieran excelled at LIV Golf Promotions, the league’s inaugural three-day showdown in December 2023, to secure one of the three qualifying spots up for grabs through the tournament.
The Zimbabwean turned pro in 2022 and played collegiately at Liberty University.
Scott, who played Iron Heads Golf Club in the LIV circuit, represented Zimbabwe at the 2020 Olympics.
The 32-year-old racked up five career wins before joining the LIV Golf League, with his most famous triumph coming in the 2022 International Series in England that preceded LIV Golf’s inaugural event in London.
He also won the International Series Order of Merit during the 2022 Asian Tour season to secure playing privileges for the 2023 LIV Golf League.
Also making an impact on the local and international scenes was Mutare-bred professional golfer Robson Chinhoi, who was making his Sunshine Tour debut after winning the Zanaco Masters in Zambia in 2023.
For Chinhoi, it was a year to remember as he managed to have a solid outing at the FBC Zimbabwe Open in April, where he tied for 24, and was fourth best-ranked Zimbabwean behind Scott, who was third.
Kieran tied fourth and Ben Follet-Smith tied sixth.
