Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze-Zimpapers Sports Hub
AS the Mighty Warriors intensify their preparations for the upcoming COSAFA tournament, there is growing optimism that Zimbabwe can finally reclaim the tournament’s top honours.
It has been 15 years since the Mighty Warriors last won the COSAFA Championships, albeit on home soil.
Zimbabwe, however, began rebuilding their team last year, bringing in fresh talent to restore confidence and hope.
Even their fans have some belief that the good old days could return to the Mighty Warriors.
This year’s COSAFA championship, which brings together 11 teams from across the Southern African region, will be staged in Polokwane, South Africa, between February 18 and March 1.
The Mighty Warriors have been drawn into Group B where they will face tournament favourites Zambia, Botswana and Eswatini.
Coach Sithethelelwe “Kwinji 15” Sibanda has 28 players in camp as she fine-tunes the squad that will travel Polokwane.
Sibanda wants to ensure that her team are in their best shape for the tournament as they aim for a podium finish which has been elusive for over a decade.
“We are not going there to make numbers, we are aiming for silverware as well as reclaiming authority as one of the forces to reckon with,” said Sibanda.
“Our rebuilding exercise is intentional; we are on our way up there but it is a process so we want to keep the team intact and develop it into a machine.”
In winning the cup in 2011, the Mighty Warriors became the first team to stop South Africa’s dominance of the competition.
The Mighty Warriors had been losing finalists in the inaugural edition in 2002 and later in 2017 at Barbourfields, falling to Banyana Banyana on both occasions.
In 2019 Zimbabwe settled for bronze while twice in 2006 and 2023 they finished fourth in the campaign.
Last year, the Zimbabweans were eliminated from the competition in the group stages.
Having blown hot and cold in recent years, the new-look Mighty Warriors will be out to reclaim their former status on the regional stage.
Sibanda who is hoping her charges can dust off the off-season cobwebs, revealed that they will be looking to play two friendly matches in South Africa before they plunge into the COSAFA battles.
“Our players are coming from the off-season; they have not been quite active which is why we needed the very best preparations to ensure they bounce back into shape.
“We have been making up through integrated sessions, and the progress has been satisfactory so if we get the two games that we want we will be good.
“This is the team that played the Three Nations Tournament, it was their first competition so before we get into COSAFA it would be good to get another one or two competitive games.”
