admin
Grace Chingoma-Senior Sports Reporter
AUSTRALIA-BASED Zimbabwean netballer Tadiwa Kahonde says her dream is to feature in the Suncorp, the top netball level in that country, as well as play for the Zimbabwe senior national team, the Gems.
Kahonde is back in the country for the festive season.
The 20-year-old shone for the 19-and-under category with her club Wilson Storage Southern Saints, winning the Most Valuable Player in the Premier State League, in the Under-19 category of the Victorian Netball League.
This season the talented netballer graduated from the age-group team and went on to play briefly in the Championship, which is the top league in the Victorian Netball League. The Herald caught up with Kahonde in Harare this week and she shared her vision for the future.
“I have always had dreams of playing in the Suncorp league, but in terms of international, I would rather play for Zimbabwe. I feel that Zimbabwe is my home, it’s where I am from, and I would want to represent them,” said Kahonde.
“I have every intention of playing for the Gems. That has been my dream since knowing that there is a Zimbabwean team that is playing internationally. I am so proud of the girls and what they have been able to achieve thus far.
“If I get the opportunity to be a part of them one day, I will wear that badge on my shoulders with pride. I watched the last World Cup religiously. I was there on the television cheering the Zimbabwean team and felt I wanted to be there, walking on that court lifting my nation’s flag high and proud and just playing for them,” she said.
The talented netballer says she is fortunate to be based in Australia, which is currently the top netball country in the world.
“I am fortunate enough to be in a country that is the powerhouse of netball, like they put so much money into netball, developing the girls and the skills to be a better player so in that sense I have been blessed with such a great opportunity and I am going to take any opportunity that I can,” said Kahonde.
However, the transition into the Championship from the former Under-19 team has not been that smooth for the youthful player, who is fondly described as the queen of turnovers by her club.
She ended up playing in the First Division for the remaining half of the year.
“2022 season was tough. It was a new experience for me. Last year, I played in the Under-19 category but this year I was fortunate enough to have half of the season in the Championship and the other half in Division One.
“I would say I was thrown straight into the deep-end in the Championship which is the highest playing division so it was challenging, I am not going to lie. It was very new to me, new players, much stronger players, with much more experience than l. So it took me a while to find my feet. A big jump from Under-19 but it was the experience I really needed. After playing in the Championship for a bit, I realised what I needed to bring and then I went into Division 1 and was able to practice and just make my skills a bit stronger.
“So hopefully this coming year, I am going back into the championship, put those skills on show and challenge myself against better opponents,” said Kahonde.
Kahonde says after refreshing at home, she is looking forward to the New Year.
“My festive holiday has been good so far. We went to our rural home in Guruve to visit my grandparents and celebrate with them.
“We also had cousins and aunties coming from South Africa so it was really nice being together.
“I am excited to see what the New Year brings, and I will be in Zimbabwe for the New Year. The last time I was in Zimbabwe was in 2018. I was 16 then and now I am 20-years-old,” she said.
Apart from playing netball, the youthful athlete is also pursuing nursing training in Australia.
“Right now I am starting nursing and I want to pursue that and become a neo-natal nurse, a baby nurse. But in terms of netball, just making it to the highest level I possibly can is my dream,” said Kahonde.
Kahonde comes from a netball family with her mother and sister having played the sport when they were younger. This inspired her to take up the sport seriously. And her father has also been her greatest cheerleader and critic.
Online Reporter