Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
HARARE KINGS are the 2025/26 Harare Basketball Association (HBA) Super Six champions and coach Tafara Chirambira couldn’t be more relieved and proud.
This comes after the Kings emerged as the biggest winners of this past weekend’s action-packed double-header.
Three teams went into the weekend still within a shout of the title, namely Mbare Bulls, JBC and eventual champions Kings.
Mbare Bulls beat Varsity Leopards 94-73 before going down to UZ Stars 82-84.
JBC lost both their games against Basket Hounds 70-85 and the Harare Kings 70-78.
Harare Kings lost to the UZ Stars 75-83 before winning their top-of-the-table clash against JBC 78-70.
The results mean that Harare Kings go into the final round of games with an unassailable 39 points while JBC and Mbare Bulls are tied on 37 points.
Chirambira was, unfortunately, unavailable for the two matches with assistant coach Kennedy Bushu standing in.
However, that didn’t stop the Harare Kings coach from revelling in his team’s success.
“I was away on national duty in Mapisa, Gwanda, at the Independence Day celebration,” said Chirambira.
“However, I want to start by giving the Harare Basketball Association their dues as I followed the live stream online and was able to call in my guys on the ground to bellow out some instructions.
“Still, I am very proud and relieved that the season is almost over and we managed to tick a very important box by winning the Super Six title,” he said.
Kings have now joined a very exclusive club as they have become only the second team to win the title on debut following Basket Hounds.
Now they have set their sights on following Basket Hounds’ trail to the letter and also conquering the nation at the Basketball Union of Zimbabwe National League Championships next month.
“The National League has always been the target,” said Chirambira.
“This is only our second year in existence, and we are ahead in terms of targets and objectives.
“We want to make our mark on the continent at the Basketball Africa League, and winning the Super Six title was only the first step.
“Next up is the National League which you know, the winner represents the country at the BAL qualifiers.
“We want to put Zimbabwe on the map, and competing at the Basketball Africa League is the only way to do that.
“So now, all our attention is on the National League,” he said.
Work behind the scenes has already started to add some reinforcements as Harare Kings looks to make a splash at the National League in Bulawayo next month.
“Experience will be key, and we have already started looking at a few players that we believe will give us the edge at both the National League and the BAL qualifiers,” he said.
“While I cannot divulge names as yet, we have a player from Mozambique and another from South Africa that we are already in talks with.
“We hope to have the deals done by the time we travel to Bulawayo so as to give them time to adapt to our systems,” he said.
Harare Kings are also hoping to have their centre Panashe Kaduya back in time for the National League.
The centre missed the entire second half of the season due to some personal issues.
“It was a very tiring and highly competitive season for us,” said Chirambira.
“We played as a unit with everyone from management to the players were all on the same page, and that was one of our strengths.
“Noah Penduka and Dyvonne Pfachi were truly the stand-outs of the season, and I believe that they should be in the conversation for the Most Valuable Player award, if not favourites.
“It’s unfortunate, we also went into battle without one of our impact players during the second half of the season.
“Panashe (Kaduya) missed half the season due to some personal issues.
“However, we do hope to have him back in time for the National League.
“He was solely missed and we will definitely become a more dangerous team with him,” he said.
