The Sunday Mail
Sports Reporter
Simbarashe Mlambo’s efforts and contributions to netball have largely remained unnoticed and are hardly celebrated.
He is arguably one of the finest netball minds in the country.
Mlambo’s Platinum Queens are currently the reigning Premier Netball League champions.
In addition to contributing to Pamushana Mission School’s netball supremacy, he was also head coach of the Young Gems team that won gold at the Confederation of Southern Africa Netball Associations (COSANA) Tri-Nations in Malawi in June this year. However, his most notable contributions come at senior team level, where he has groomed most players in the current and former Gems’ World Cup squads.
The seasoned gaffer finally got the chance to be part of the Gems outfit at the recent World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa.
“The call-up came as a surprise,” said Mlambo.
“The team had been in camp for some time prior to the call, and I did not think they still needed extra hands.
“I did not think that my services were needed, but I am happy that I finally got the chance to live out my dream.
“I had always wished to watch them play from the arena floor, and I finally got to do that.” Mlambo was included in the Gems’ technical team as a late entry to assist coaches Ropafadzo Mutsauki and Tatenda Shinya at the 2023 Netball World Cup Qualifiers in Pretoria, South Africa.
At the tournament, the Gems booked their ticket to a second successive World Cup. They will battle for netball supremacy with 15 other teams at the global showcase slated for July 28 to August 6.
Despite being a late entry, Mlambo probably knew more about the team’s strengths and weaknesses since players such as Joice Takaidza, Sharon Bwanali, Tafadzwa Matura, Beulah Hlungwani, Priscilla Ndlovu, Claris Kwaramba, Elizabeth Mushore and Sharleen Makusha passed through his hands.
Prior to that, seven out of the 12 players who participated at the 2019 World Cup at one point or another had passed through him.
‘Coach Muller’ watched with glee, albeit on television, as the likes of Felisitus Kwangwa, Sharon Bwanali, Mercy Mukwadi, Patricia Malaudi, Claris Kwaramba, Sharleen Makusha, Pauline Jani made their maiden appearance at the World Cup.
Mlambo says netball is his life.
Growing up in Bulawayo, he would watch his mother coach netball during his days at Mzilikazi Primary School. However, he could not get fully involved in the then female-dominated sport.
It was not until 2002, when he became a student teacher at Hillside Teachers College, that Mlambo ventured into the sport.
“I became an inter-house coordinator and got the chance to learn more about the game.
“I loved the idea of being more involved,” he recalls. He would frequent the library as he researched more about the game. After graduating in 2004, he joined Mwenezi High and later transformed the school into a formidable force in the sport. By 2007, he attained his first coaching certificate and then transferred to his current home at Pamushana Mission, where he is an English teacher.
At club level, he got his first big gig in 2017 when he joined Platinum Queens as head coach. He led the team to ninth position in his maiden season.
The following year, the team switched to Rainbow Amateurs Netball League and finished the season in the top three.
His player, Progress Moyo, was crowned the 2018 Player of the Season.
Last year, the team moved to the Premier Netball League, where they are currently defending champions of both the league and pre-season tournament cup.
“I have a deep passion for this game,” he said.
“It is every coach’s dream to have players in the national team.
“Getting the call-up myself was simply the icing on the cake.
“I am grateful that I got that chance and I learnt a lot from that experience.”
He believes adequate preparations before the World Cup are key.
“For the team to be able to camp in time and have as many international friendlies as possible, they need resources,” he said.
“Corporates need to come through for us, and I believe they have so much to benefit from that involvement,” he said.
