Online Reporter
Lovemore Dube, Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Zimbabwe Premier Netball League secretary-general, Alice Makunura, has saluted the 16 clubs that defied tough financial conditions to complete the 2025 season without a single disruption.
Speaking in Bulawayo last Sunday during the season’s final bubble hosted by Imbizo Queens at the White City Stadium courts, Makunura hailed the teams’ resilience and commitment throughout the Nedbank sponsored campaign.
“This year, we had 16 teams taking part, and when we started, many were on a low note. But as the season progressed, they improved significantly. P Stars, Makate, Imbizo, the hosts, and Tongogara have all made remarkable progress,” she said.
The competition, which serves as the country’s top flight women’s netball league, ended on a high note, with all teams attending the final rounds of matches.
Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Queens emerged as undisputed champions after an unbeaten run that saw them win all 30 fixtures.
Makunura admitted that finances had been a major challenge but was full of praise for the clubs’ discipline and the sponsors’ continued backing.
“It has not been an easy year, but thanks to Nedbank and other partners, we managed to complete all the bubbles. The teams showed great character to fulfil every fixture despite the hardships,” she said.
She also commended ZDF, Makate, and Chapungu for their strong performances in tournaments in Namibia and Botswana.
“We’re proud of how our clubs represented us outside Zimbabwe,” said Makunura.
The secretary-general further noted that the Premier Netball League continues to play a vital role in feeding players into the national setup.
“Most of the Gems, our senior national team players, come from our league. We also have others representing the Zambezi Eagles, the development side that featured in South Africa’s Telkom Netball League. We’re proud that our system continues to nurture talent,” she added.
Makunura was also pleased that the Gems coach is based at Harare City, one of the league teams, saying this close link helps in monitoring and developing players for the national cause.
The final bubble was attended by top Zimbabwe Netball Association (Zina) officials, including president Leticia Chipandu and head of technical John Banda, who both praised the improving standards of play.
Banda said he had been closely following the performances of national team players during the season and revealed that the technical department would soon release off season training programmes to keep players in shape ahead of the upcoming tours of Wales and Scotland in two weeks.
Bongani Ndlovu