Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze
Zimpapers Sports Hub
TATENDA “Ninja” Shinya walked away from netball at a point most coaches are just getting started.
Two years later, he is back, and he has just handed the champions their first defeat in over two seasons.
Chapungu edged ZDF Queens 41-40 at St Columbus High School in Bulawayo over the weekend, ending the army side’s long unbeaten run in the Premier Netball League and announcing Shinya’s return in the loudest way possible.
It was not just a win; it was a statement. ZDF Queens, chasing a third straight title, had not lost a league match in more than two years.
That run ended against a coach who once walked away from the game.
“My life has always revolved around netball, but sometimes we have to make the painful decision . . . ,” Shinya said.
“In between, I have taken up some gigs, although I was not psychologically ready to bounce back but I am now okay and ready for the game.”
At 34, Shinya had already built a reputation as one of the youngest national team coaches on the continent.
His rise was sharp, his profile was growing and his breakthrough felt close. Then he stepped away.
Pressure and frustration around the game pushed him out, cutting short a coaching career that had stretched over 15 years, starting from his school days at Glen View 1 High School.
He had always been around the court — coaching the school team and moving into club netball with Jazeera in Dzivaresekwa and helping them earn promotion.
He then stepped back, feeling he was still too young for the top-flight.
The journey continued with Support Unit, where he helped the side to a Division One silver finish, before a move to Falcon Queens in 2013.
“I enjoyed my time there; they respected me, and it made me feel that I had achieved a lot in life,” he said.
What followed was a restless stretch across the domestic game — Glow Petroleum Queens in Kwekwe, Connemara Queens, Nehanda, Beta and Ngezi Platinum Queens.
Different environments, different challenges and the same obsession with the sport.
“Glow felt like home and I got to learn a lot about the Super League, which gave me more confidence to explore,” he said.
“Connemara had nothing to offer financially; life was tough there, but I did everything out of passion for the game.”
Along the way, he shifted focus to umpiring, a move that would quietly reshape his understanding of the game.
“My heart was now in umpiring, so when I left Ngezi, I took it seriously and acquired an Africa C certificate,” he said. That path opened another door.
In 2022, the Zimbabwe Netball Association called.
Shinya stepped into the national setup, making his debut in Malawi, before playing a role in the 2023 World Cup qualifiers alongside Simbarashe Mlambo under head coach Ropafadzo Mutsauki.
“I made my debut in Malawi; it was a new experience and I learnt a lot.
“Then the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers meant everything to me; we needed to qualify for the global showcase and justify ourselves.
“It meant playing our cards right, and we delivered.”
On that stage, his age stopped being a question and became part of the intrigue.
Mutsauki trusted him with post-match duties, a sign of growing confidence in a young coach still shaping his identity. But just as things were opening up, he stepped away again.
His retirement from coaching in 2024 stalled that momentum.
Short stints followed at Flow Angels and Santa before Chapungu came calling in the off-season.
Now, back in the dugout, he is rewriting that narrative.
Even as he delivered a result few expected, ending ZDF’s run and denting their title charge early, doubts have not completely disappeared — not about his knowledge, but his presence.
He has long been viewed as young and carefree, not quite the commanding figure some expect in a dressing room.
And Shinya knows it.
“Even when I joined the national team, I knew what people thought about me but told myself that this was my opportunity to show them the real me, not the one they thought they knew,” he said.
“Leadership comes with responsibility, and I understand what is expected of me when I am a coach, so I adjust and deliver.”
At Chapungu, he works alongside assistant coach Sonia Juma, a former player who has transitioned into the technical team.
The dynamics are not always straightforward.
Some players are his age, while others remember him from his early days.
“The players here respect me just like the other coaches and it makes me quick to understand my position as well. “Some of the players are my age, if not older, and others even know the younger me, but things are different now.” The target is just as clear.
“We are aiming for top honours and so far, we started well; we are hoping to deliver.”
One result does not win a title.
But for a coach who walked away with a heavy heart, this was more than just a win.
It was proof he still belongs, and a reminder to the rest of the league that Chapungu, under Shinya, are not here to make up the numbers.
Tinaye Agere