The Sunday Mail
Veronica Gwaze
FORMER Zimbabwe senior netball team head coach Tapiwa Chirenda has bounced back into the fold after being appointed as Ropafadzo Mutsauki’s assistant, roughly three months before the 2023 Netball World Cup begins.
When the Gems began camp a fortnight ago, Chirenda took part in the training sessions at Prince Edward High School together with Mutsauki and the other assistant coach, Tatenda Shinya.
The Netball World Cup is slated for Cape Town, South Africa, between July 28 and August 6.
The Gems, South Africa, Uganda and Malawi will join 12 other nations to battle for global supremacy.
Chirenda was the Gems head coach from 2012 to 2016.
He is credited with transforming the team into a formidable force, as they moved to position 17, up from 38, on the World Netball rankings during his tenure.
On his debut, the experienced coach, together with the late former Gems team manager, Ledwin Dondo, took the team to Malawi for the African Championships, where they surprised many.
“My first assignment was leading the team to Malawi, where we performed well despite camping for less than a week.
“It was largely due to great passion and the never-die spirit that we managed to exceed expectations,” said the Ngezi Platinum Queens coach.
“I am happy to be back with the team. We are already down to serious business as we do not want to just add numbers at the Netball World Cup.
“We want to leave our mark.”
In the past, he has coached the now-defunct Airforce of Zimbabwe team, Falcon Queens.
It is through netball that he also got employed by the Airforce of Zimbabwe.
Growing up, he was a basketball player, and occasionally still plays in the Harare Basketball League.
He also used to watch former national team coaches Lloyd Makunde and Christopher Simeone go about their business at Tafara community hall.
This motivated him to take up the sport, after which he took up a couple of coaching gigs at various schools.
Despite being an amateur, he would bag awards and youth games’ medals in Harare Province.
He also took Mabvuku High School Under-16 team to their first-ever Tanganda national finals, despite not having any coaching qualifications.
In 2004, he finally acquired a ZINA netball coaching certificate.
The following year, he got another coaching gig with the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) team Silo Queens, taking them to Division One that season.
In 2006, he finished third in the Netball Super League after moving to Stanbic.
“Due to financial constraints, GMB stopped sports, so I moved to Stanbic in 2007,” he said.
“It was during my time at Stanbic that Zimbabwe Republic Police engaged me to assemble the police outfit Mambas Queens,” he said.
It wasn’t long before Chirenda took his talents to ZDF Queens and then Glow Petroleum Queens and Support Unit.
He would eventually get his first national team call-up in 2012.
Mutsauki, the Gems national team coach, is excited to get the opportunity to work with Chirenda in the build-up to the Netball World Cup.
“We are very close to the World Cup and Chirenda has to hit the ground running.
“I am happy to work with him and Shinya, especially considering the fact that we are not strangers,” said Mutsauki.
“Our team has a couple of young players, which means we have so much to do and so little time.
“However, I have nothing but faith in the team,” said the Gems’ gaffer.
Gem’s provisional Squad
Sharon Bwanali; Tafadzwa Matura; Patricia Mauladi; Leslie Chikozho (ZDF), Paidamoyo Tinoza; Beula Hlungwane; Tanaka Makusha (Glow Petroleum Queens), Mitchelle Muzanenamo; Nicole Muzanenamo; Thandazile Ndlovu; Nikki Jane Mandeya (Greenfuels), Silibaziso Shumba; Elizabeth Mushore; Claris Kwaramba; Chipo Shoko (Platinum), Kudakwashe Muchongwe; Tafadzwa Mawango (Correctional Queens), Takadanaise Assa Zimusi; Rudo Simbi (Harare City)
Technical team
Head coach: Ropafadzo Mutsauki, Assistant coach: Tatenda Shinya, Assistant coach: Tapiwa Chirenda, Team Manager: Agnes Chiroodza, Physiotherapist: Nyembesi Kwava
