XOLILE MPISANE
IQEMBU lakuleli lesizwe le-netball liwuqale kahle umqhudelwano we-Africa Netball Cup liguqisa iZimbabwe ngo-78-27 kowokuvula ngoLwesibili ntambama.
AmaProteas angene kulo mqhudelwano obanjelwe eWindhoek, eNamibia, ehlose ukuzovikela isicoco asinqoba eKapa ngo-2019.
Kuyiwe ekhefini iqembu lakuleli lihamba phambili ngo-35-21 labe selibuya ngamandla amakhulu kumakota amabili okugcina elaseZimbabwe selikhombisa ukukhathala.
Umqeqeshi wamaProteas, uDorette Badenhorst, uthe noma bengasitholanga isikhathi sokulungiselela lo mncintiswano ngemuva kohambo lwabo lwaphesheya, bazimisele ukuthi bazibonakalise njengelinye lamaqembu amakhulu kwizwekazi i-Afrika.
“Lona ngumqhudelwano onzima ngoba kumele sidlale imidlalo eyisishiyagalombili izinsuku zilandelana. Yonke imidlalo izoba nomthelela ekuklelisweni kwethu futhi sizobe sidlala namaqembu aqinile,” kusho uBadenhorst.
“Inhloso yethu wukuvikela isicoco sethu futhi kuyangijabulisa ukubona abadlali bethu bebhekene namazwe ahamba phambili e-Afrika.
“Asizange sisithole isikhathi sokulungiselela i-Africa Cup njengoba sisanda kubuya e-Ireland, kodwa okumqoka ukuthi singene enkundleni sizizwe amandla sibhekene nezimbangi zethu e-Afrika.
"Sizonika abadlali abasha amathuba okudlala ngoba abanye abadlali bethu abamqoka abekho kulo mqhudelwano ngenxa yokulimala nezinye izizathu. Sizimisele ukuthi sishaye into ecokeme enkundleni."
Abadlali abasha u-Elmeré van der Berg, Jamie van Wyk, Refiloe Nketsa noJessica du Plessis, bonke bathole ithuba lokudlala emdlalweni wokuvula neZimbabwe.
AmaProteas azobhekana neKenya ngo-1 ntambama ngoLwesithathu bese edlala neTanzania ngo-11 ekuseni ngoLwesine.