Online Reporter
Fungai Muderere, [email protected]
IN a year defined by the spirit of giving, two Zimbabwean women are quietly reshaping what impact in sport really looks like.
The recently held 2026 edition of the AWISI Women of Impact in Sports Award arrived as more than a celebration, it captured a continent in motion.
Now in its third year and aligned with International Women’s Day under the theme “Give to Gain,” the initiative honouring 20 African women using sport as a force for equality, leadership and social change.
It was not about ranking greatness, but recognising those steadily shifting the ground beneath women in sport.
From 75 nominations across 17 countries, a 13-member, all-women continental panel selected a final 20 representing 14 nations and a wide range of influence, from governance and medicine to media and grassroots development.
Among them, two Zimbabwean names stand out not for noise, but for distinction, Maculwamahle Nkomo and Sarah Bennet.
“Congratulations to Maculwamahle Nkomo and Sarah Bennet for being recognised as impactful leaders whose work is transforming sport and society in Africa,” read a message from the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture on their official X handle.
Nkomo’s impact lives in the unseen architecture of boxing.
As a sports administrator and a former Matabeleland South provincial co-ordinator who now works at the Zimbabwe National Boxing and Wrestling Control Board (ZNBWCB) as marketing and public relations officer, her work unfolds far from the glare of title fights.
She operates where futures are shaped, inside local gyms, within selection systems and along fragile development pathways.
Her contribution to women’s boxing in Zimbabwe is defined by access, ensuring female athletes are not merely included, but equipped, supported, and visible. In a sport that has often side-lined women, she is widening the ring, making space where there was little before.
“I’m humbled by this continental recognition. My mission remains empowering athletes to achieve their best in a safe, supportive environment as a sport administrator. I thank the Minister of State of Matabeleland South for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Honuorable Albert Nguluvhe and Permanent Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution in Matabeleland South Province Lathiso Dlamini-Maseko for supporting boxers, all stakeholders who assisted, my family for their support, and my boxers across Matabeleland South and beyond for their resilience,” said an ecstatic Nkomo.
She added: “This award belongs to rural sport and all who’ve been part of this journey. I will continue advocating for safeguarding female athletes, administrators and coaches to be seen, heard and empowered. To every woman working in her community, your hard work touches lives, keep pushing.”
Bennet’s influence, in contrast, moves across the structured rhythms of hockey. A former national player turned technical official and administrator, she embodies continuity, bridging experience and leadership with quiet authority.
Her work strengthens the systems that sustain the sport, standards, organisation and competitive integrity. Through her stewardship, hockey in Zimbabwe has gained both credibility and consistency, creating conditions where participation feels normal, not exceptional.
Together, their journeys reflect a wider continental rhythm echoed across this year’s AWISI cohort.
From Dorothy Judy Jekill Okatch mentoring young athletes in Botswana to Félicité Rwemarika transforming women’s football in Rwanda and Dr Carole Mary Akinyi Okoth advancing athlete welfare in Kenya, the pattern is unmistakable, progress is being driven not just by performance, but by persistence.
What binds these women is not discipline or title, but intent.
Their work reaches beyond podiums and scoreboards into governance, inclusion, and the everyday realities of opportunity. They are not only building athletes, they are building systems that will outlast them.
In recognising them, AWISI reframed the idea of impact. It shifted the focus from victory to vision, from who wins, to who opens doors, who stays the course and who ensures the next generation meets sport as a bridge rather than a barrier.
For Nkomo and Bennet, that future is no longer distant. It is already taking shape! @FungaiMuderere
