Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE story of women in sport across Southern Africa has long been told through the number of participants — How many girls are playing? How many are staying in the game? How many are being given a chance?
That picture is changing.
The focus is shifting to something deeper and more decisive — Who leads? Who decides? Who shapes the direction of sport?
Across the African union Sports Council Region 5, that shift is beginning to take hold.
The regional body — made up of Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe — has spent years pushing to bring women and girls into sport.
That work continues, but the current push is about influence, about placing women in positions where they are not just present, but heard. Behind it sits a network of programmes designed to close a gap that has always been visible, but rarely addressed with this level of intent.
The Women Leadership Programme has become the centrepiece. Alongside it are the Female Leaders of Tomorrow and the Girls Positive and Safe Coaching Pathway, each targeting a different point in the journey, from grassroots coaching to leadership development.
Cousinet Simunyu, secretary-general of the AUSC Region 5 Women in Sport Committee, says the change is no longer theoretical.
“AUSC Region 5 has three main programmes to encourage the participation of women in sport, the Women Leadership Programme, Female Leaders of Tomorrow, and the Girls Positive and Safe Coaching Pathway,” she said.
“Female Leaders of Tomorrow extends beyond our region, while Girls Positive accommodates more participants, mostly coaches who are trained on how to coach girls from grassroots level to elite. The leadership programmes are specifically focused on women.”
The ambition behind the Women Leadership Programme is clear: at least 2 000 women trained across the region by 2028. Each of the 10 countries is expected to identify and develop 20 women every year through an eight-month mentorship cycle that goes beyond classroom learning.
It is structured to place women in real environments where they must lead, make decisions and carry responsibility.
Zimbabwe has moved quickly within that structure. Working through the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture and the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), the country has become one of the more active players in implementing the programme, alongside Malawi.
Others such as Zambia and Botswana are still building momentum.
“At the moment, seven countries are implementing the programmes, with Zimbabwe and Malawi leading. Zambia and Botswana have just started,” said Simunyu.
“These programmes have had a significant impact in raising awareness, increasing participation and creating leadership opportunities.
“The young women have shown strong enthusiasm. Mentorship has helped them take up coaching and administrative roles with confidence and our SRC is serious about gender balance.”
The results are beginning to show, not in grand announcements, but in steady movement.
Women who once hovered on the edges of sport are now running teams, organising competitions and taking part in decisions that shape the game.
The shift is visible in coaching structures, in administrative offices and in community sport, where more women are beginning to take charge.
There is also an effort to deepen that progress across the region.
Plans are in place to introduce exchange programmes under the Women Leadership Programme, allowing participants to learn across borders and strengthen a network that is still taking shape.
“The need has been felt and the vision is very clear on where we want to go as women and girls in sport,” Simunyu said.
“There is strong regional solidarity and an empowerment dialogue that shows collective commitment.”
The progress, though, is not without friction.
Resources remain limited. Some countries struggle to maintain consistent numbers in each intake. In others, the programmes are still finding their footing.
Even within stronger systems, expansion is a challenge.
“The region is cushioning a bit and encouraging partnerships with organisations that work with women and girls,” Simunyu said.
“Many women view these programmes as transformative because they give them confidence and recognition. They are calling for accelerated efforts, mainly in leadership opportunities, and they are willing to go beyond being just athletes to occupying influential positions.
“The major limitation is on the low numbers on enrolment, which is why we now want to decentralise and reach further to expand opportunities.”
That push to decentralise speaks to a deeper issue.
Access is still uneven, often concentrated in major cities, leaving potential leaders in smaller communities out of reach.
Closing that gap is now part of the next phase.
For Simunyu, the work is both professional and personal.
“As part of the committee, it has been challenging, but also a learning curve,” she said. “We are working to drive the change that we all want, a change that addresses gender imbalances, cultural barriers and discrimination and harassment of women and girls in sport.”
In Zimbabwe, the programme continues to build.
The third intake was launched in December, bringing in 25 participants for the 2025 to 2026 cycle. The numbers from previous groups suggest a system that is beginning to hold.
Out of 23 participants in the first intake, 18 completed the programme. The second group produced 14 graduates.
Each cohort feeds into the next, building a pool of women who are now stepping into visible roles.
Country coordinator Sarah Charakupa says the impact is no longer confined to training sessions.
“The Women Leadership Programme has moved beyond theoretical training to create tangible change in the Zimbabwean sports landscape,” she said.
“Its primary impact is visible in the emergence of a new generation of confident, qualified female leaders who are actively shaping the industry.
“We are seeing our graduates translate their training into real-world action.”
That action is what gives the programme weight.
It is seen in the coach who now commands a session with authority, in the administrator who takes part in decisions that once excluded her and in the young women who no longer see leadership in sport as something distant.
The change is steady, sometimes quiet, but it is gathering shape.
Women are no longer waiting on the edges of the game.
They are stepping into it, not as participants alone, but as decision-makers, organisers and leaders who are beginning to influence what sport in this region looks like now, and what it becomes next.
