African Sports Insights

Zimbabwe (in white and green) have been preparing in Stellenbosch with South Africa Under-20. BY SPORTSCAST WRITER HARARE – Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has hailed Zimbabwe as a “quality” rugby team ahead of the Sables’ clash with a South Africa ‘A’ side in Port Elizabeth next weekend. The Zimbabweans and the second-string South Africa side will curtain-raise the Boks’ match against the Barbarians on 20 June. Revered World Cup-winning coach Erasmus has shown his r

BY NICK CHOUHAN In this file image, the late Danny Bismark (seated, blue-and-white shirt), interacts with members of his community at Arcadia Sports Centre in Harare. HARARE – It is with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Mr. Danny Bismark, one of the most iconic and respected members of Zimbabwe's Coloured community. He passed on in Harare this week at the age of 90. Danny will long be remembered for his immense contribution to society, both in sport and com

SPORTSCAST WRITER HARARE – Zimbabwe’s squad will be reinforced for the World Rugby Nations Cup tour of the United States after the completion of an ongoing training camp in South Africa and the match against South Africa ‘A’ in Port Elizabeth on 20 June. Zimbabwe this week named a 32-man squad for the camp and game against SA ‘A’, with several star players that helped the Sables qualify for the 2027 World Cup conspicuous by their absence. Sables head coach Piet Benade o

BY SPORTSCAST WRITER PRETORIA – A new rugby case study developed by Zimbabwean-born and South African-based coach Kennedy Tsimba is exploring whether Africa's unique sporting environments may offer valuable insights into the future evolution of rugby. Known as the Shift Theory, the work examines the transition and unstructured moments of the game, the periods between set plays and organised phase structures where players must adapt, make rapid decisions and respond to chan

BY ENOCK MUCHINJO HARARE – Like Brendan Taylor, Tarisai Musakanda has been honest enough about the personal turbulence that threatened to tear apart not only his cricket career, but also himself. Musakanda was last week named in the two squads for the Zimbabwe ‘A’ tour of Bangladesh this June, returning to the reckoning for the first time since he last featured at any level of international cricket nearly four years ago. Tarisai Musakanda enjoyed a fruitful season with

BY SPORTSCAST WRITER HARARE – Sables star winger Matt McNab has signed for Coventry Rugby Club after leaving fellow English Premiership side Doncaster Knights, moving to a city where another Zimbabwean, Peter Ndlovu, made his historic breakthrough in football more than three decades ago. Bulawayo-born McNab (27) is joining his third Champ Rugby club with an impressive record in the second tier of England’s rugby system, having made 71 appearances in the league and scoring 3

BY TINO MOMBESHORA HARARE – I love travelling and exploring, when the pocket allows and there’s the real prospect of experiencing something totally new and exciting. So as a big fan of Zimbabwean sport, Uganda was the perfect destination, to witness the 2025 Rugby Africa Cup, a qualification competition for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. At the same time, an opportunity to discover the “Pearl of Africa”, as this East African country proudly calls itself. I’d never been to Ug

BY CRISPEN MHIKE HARARE – Mathew Mbundire, who passed away suddenly in Harare on Tuesday just seven days shy of his 60th birthday, had a career that stood firmly as testament to his passion for developing young people. Mukoma Mathew began his journey as the Sports Director at St John’s Preparatory School in Harare, where he shaped the character of countless young athletes across generations. His natural leadership skills and dedication eventually led him to the role of

BY SPORTSCAST WRITER HARARE – Old school and rugby teammates of Tobias Matonhodze, the jailed cousin of the late former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe’s son Bellarmine Chatunga, spoke last week of how his bust-or-win lifestyle has probably contributed to him dramatically falling foul with the law. Motonhodze (33) was a gifted and fearless rugby player at Kyle College, a leading private school in Masvingo, Zimbabwe’s oldest city. Tobias Matonhodze (number 15) execute

BULAWAYO – A heavily rotated Zimbabwe side battled to a hard-fought 17-7 victory over Zambia at Hartsfield Rugby Ground on Saturday, continuing their preparations for a demanding international season. Despite making several changes to the lineup, Zimbabwe, without the bulk of their foreign-based stars, had enough overcome their much-improved Southern African neighbours in a tightly contested encounter. The result sealed a clean sweep for Zimbabwe, who had already beaten

HARARE - Marian ‘Mario’ Marinica has stepped down as head coach of the Zimbabwe senior men’s national football team, the Warriors, just five months after taking charge. The 59-year-old Romanian coach’s resignation was confirmed by Zimbabwe Football Association in a statement released on Monday, citing “personal reasons” for his departure. “The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) announces that Marian Marinica has resigned from his position as Head Coach of the Zimbabwe

BY ENOCK MUCHINJO HARARE – Zimbabwe international Tapiwa Mafura has been released by Lions in South Africa and will head home to join the national team’s early preparations for next year’s World Cup in Australia. A reliable source in Harare told SportsCast on Wednesday that the Sables star fullback has left the Johannesburg franchise at his own request after failing to get game-time for a prolonged period. Mafura was believed to be on his way to Europe or switching team

The following is a verbatim excerpt from a conversation between record-breaking ex-Springbok wing Tonderai Chavhanga and SportsCast founding Editor Enock Muchinjo following confirmation this week of World Cup-bound Zimbabwe’s curtain-raiser match against South Africa ‘A’ for the Springboks versus Barbarians clash on 20 June in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), South Africa. Tonderai Chavhanga (third from left; front row) as Zimbabwe's assistant coach during the SuperSport

South Africa A have made a welcome return to the rugby calendar. SA A will take on Zimbabwe in Gqeberha on 20 June in a curtain-raiser to the Springboks’ opening match of the season against the Barbarians. The last time SA A team took the field was during the 2022 end-of-year tour against Munster and the Bristol Bears. With the 2027 World Cup in sight for both the Springboks and the Sables – who qualified for the international spectacle for the first time since 1991 – t

Blessing Muzarabani ‌has been banned from the Pakistan ⁠Super League (PSL) ⁠for two years after the Zimbabwe fast bowler joined Indian Premier League (IPL) side Kolkata ⁠Knight Riders, despite having agreed to play for PSL team Islamabad United. The 29-year-old, ⁠who went unsold in the IPL and PSL auctions, was signed by Islamabad, but he chose to play for Kolkata instead as the IPL franchise’s ‌replacement for Mustafizur Rahman, who was released following instructions from

Bath’s 1997/98 season is best remembered as the year they became the first English champions of Europe. But, privately, it was also the time when the genesis of an idea that transition play could be coached was planted in the mind of the one of the club’s overseas signings, Kennedy Tsimba. As the first black player to captain the Zimbabwe in 1998, Tsimba already had a track record in breaking new ground. But lately he’s become a pioneer in coaching transition, the grey area b