By Courage Dutiro
The Pamushana High School netball team, representing Zimbabwe in the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Youth Games 2025 in Windhoek, Namibia recently, brought home a bronze medal.
The Under 19 girls, known as the Young Gems, competed against teams from seven countries in the region, including South Africa, Malawi, Namibia, and Zambia.
South Africa took first place, followed by Malawi in second, while Zimbabwe came third, Namibia and Zambia came forth and fifth respectively.
The team’s coach, Stembile Banda, attributed their success to the girls’ resilience, character, and rigorous training camps.
“The team’s character and resilience enabled us to achieve a podium performance. It was hard work, determination, and teamwork since day one,” said Banda
The team has participated in various competitions, including league bubbles, NASH, and the Zambezi Telkom games in South Africa.
Banda praised the team’s youngest player, 16-year-old Ashly James, who performed well, and Captain Ruvimbo Pawandiwa, who led the team with an outstanding performance.
In their matches, the Young Gems displayed a dominant performance, powering past Botswana 76-23 on match day one and clinching a 45-41 victory over host Namibia on match day two.
