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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
GROWING up as inseparable siblings was the start of what has become a formidable combination of sporting prowess.
Mitchelle and Nicole Muzanenhamo made a name for themselves when they were still young and have not stopped making history.
At tender ages, their mother Connie Buka, a netball player and coach, would, on any given match day, go with them to watch netball at the local sports ground.
Little did Connie know that she was slowly imparting passion for the sport in her young daughters.
As they reached primary school and later at Sikhulile High School in the Lobengula suburb, the Muzanenhamo sisters blossomed.
Soon, they lived up to the adage ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’.
While at Sikhulile High School, the young players were honed to perfection under the tutelage of their mother, who guided the school to winning many tournaments.
The girls shone brightly at Sikhulile High and were part of an all-conquering team in the institution that prides itself on having a top-notch netball academy.
History has it that the Muzanenhamos were instrumental in helping Sikhulile High School win the Stella/Nash Under-17 netball national competitions for four years in a row, from 2015.
No school has managed to reach that fit in the history of the competition.
This is the same school where big netball names such as Gems captain Felisitus Kwangwa and Ursula Ndlovu emerged.
Not only did the sisters take a strong DNA netball link from their mother, but shared the same with Godfrey, their father.
Godfrey is a retired footballer.
Connie now coaches the South African outfit, Falcon Queens.
In discovering her daughters’ love for netball, Connie would take them to places that would expose them to the game at various levels.
Mitchelle and Nicole now play professional netball under Green Fuel Netball Queens, where they are trusted utility players.
The siblings featured for the Young Gems for years, where they made waves due to their almost psychic coordination in the field of play.
They are only the second pair of sisters to don national team colours after veterans Yvonne and Ndaizivei Madzikangava.
Now that Mitchell and Nicole have ascended the ladder and play for the national team, their parents see them headed for success.
“As a father, these girls have managed to make me proud, ‘’ said Godfrey.
“I was a sportsman myself but I believe these girls have surpassed me.”
Connie is equally proud.
“I played netball myself so the moment l learned the girls had an interest in the game it was no surprise.
“I have been supporting them and following them where they play their games long before they even made the national team grade. Right now l stand here as a proud mother to these ladies,” she said.
There is a sparkle of joy in Mitchelle’s eyes when she speaks of the great gratitude she says she owes to her parents, who supported their careers.
“It’s been an interesting journey really, especially having to represent the country at the junior level. Our lovely and loving parents have played a big role in motivating us to be what we are now,” she said.
Netball runs in the family’s genes and Nicole says it must for the next generations.
“We will pass on this sporting legacy to our families too,” she said.
“This is a netball family. We owe what we are today to the game of netball. We want this to be a lifeblood and mainstay of the family. We are a netball family.”
Both siblings said they have set their eyes on cutting the 2023 World Cup set for South Africa. — @innocentskizoe
Online Reporter