S. Africa book Africa Netball Cup final as Kenyan sides face do-or-die matches

South Africa booked their place in the men’s final of the 2026 Africa Netball Cup after trouncing Malawi 50-40 in the first match of the fourth day at Kasarani Indoor Arena in Nairobi, as Kenya Net Kings prepare for a must-win encounter against Eswatini on Wednesday.

The South Africans have remained unbeaten, thumping Eswatini, Kenya, Uganda and Malawi to secure their place in the final.

South Africa assistant coach Siyabonga Khuzwayo said the team was satisfied with its campaign, but would use the remaining time to address mistakes before the final.

“So far so good for us. I am happy we have won all our games. We just need to correct errors and we are ready to go in the finals. I am hoping we will win the final and bring the cup home. We are going to analyse our opponents so that we can be ready to go. They have raised the bar high so it is no long a walk in the park,” he noted.

Malawi captain Arnold Khobiri praised the champions while acknowledging that mistakes had proved costly.

“It was a nice game actually and also a tough one. We know South Africa are the defending champions and they played well as the champions. As Malawi we tried to put our best efforts, but small mistakes cost us the game. We know the next time we will come back stronger and going to beat them next time,” predicted Khobiri.

He added: “When we go back home, we are going to correct mistakes and weaknesses and improve on our strengths. We are playing Uganda tomorrow. We have played well this tournament and there is a big improvement in our team because this is our second international tournament to play.

“This Malawi Kings team started during the last edition held in Malawi in December last year. I believe in three years or five years, we are going to be a good team. And the good thing, we are all young compared to other teams.”

Attention now turns to Kenya Net Kings, who will return to the court on Wednesday for a do-or-die fixture against Eswatini.

Coach Peter Oloo's charges have lost twice and won once, the same record as Uganda, while Eswatini have lost once.

With South Africa undefeated, a Kenyan victory would leave the team to join the champions in the final to be determined by goal difference.

Eswatini boosted their chances by dismissing Uganda 41-38 in a tighly-contested encounter. Eswatini led 21-18 at halftime after a tight first half, before taking a 30-27 advantage into the final quarter.

Uganda fought back, but Eswatini held their nerve, eventually winning 41-38.

Eswatini head coach Vilane Jabulani credited tactical adjustments and video analysis for the victory.

“Most of the coaches they are planning to make changes when something goes wrong on court. By the minute Uganda took out their goal attacker [Gonzaga Kigozi] and we saw they were now going to play to our advantage because the goal attacker they changed was the one that was a problem for us.

“We had done a video analysis of the Ugandan players and I made sure I need to understand every player's strength and try to figure out how I would neutralize them on court. Next match is against Kenya and it is not going to be easy because Kenya is also a tough team to face. But we will take one match at a time,” said Jabulani.

Uganda assistant coach Abalo Florence admitted her side had failed to capitalise on opportunities.

“We expected anything from Eswatini because they are a good team. It was a good game. We had an upperhand in winning this game, but we did not carry the day. I think we did not maintain what was working for us because there was a time when we could intercept their passes but could not punish them. On the other side, several of our center passes were also short,” she assessed.

Coached by Zimbabwean head coach Tapiwa Chirenda and assistant coach Evelyn Jerono, Kenya Divas dismissed Nigeria 61-40 on September 19 before losing 55-47 to Malawi on September 20. They take on neighbours and arch-rivals Uganda on Tuesday evening.

The men's cup has attracted five countries — Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Eswatini and defending champions South Africa.

In the women's competition, 10 teams are divided into two pools. Pool One has South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and Tanzania, while Pool Two comprises Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Kenya Divas and debutants Nigeria.

South Africa and Uganda have already secured automatic qualification for the 2027 Women's Netball World Cup in Sydney, Australia, through their World Netball rankings. Two additional teams from the remaining eight nations at the Africa Netball Cup will earn World Cup places.

Zambia kept their hopes alive with a 63-44 victory over Nigeria, setting up a crucial Wednesday clash with Kenya Divas for a place in the semi-finals.

Nigeria centre player Aramide Ajayi explained that her team had gained valuable lessons from the contest.

“It was a very challenging game, but everyone pushed. Our team energy was very good and I am happy. Adjusting to umpire calls is definitely something we have learned from the match,” she said.

Zambia head coach Lazarus Tembo described the victory as an important step ahead of the Kenya clash.

“This win is very big, positive for usas we go into the game against Kenya which is very important for us to stay in contention for the World Cup. This was a very good build-up for us,” noted Tembo.

Zambia captain Beauty Nakazwe said her side was ready for the pressure of facing the hosts.

“It was not an easy game. It was very competitive and we are happy to have won it. Tomorrow, we will be playing Kenya. I think we are going to work on mistakes we made today so that we win against Kenya. We can handle the pressure from the home crowd because we know what we are capable of,” she said.