South Africa continued their dominance at the 2026 Africa Netball Cup when they won their last group match against Namibia on Wednesday afternoon in Kenya. The SPAR Proteas won the match 55-33 against Namibia.
SPAR Proteas head coach Jenny van Dyk tinkered slightly with her starting seven after her last match against Botswana the previous day. South Africa was very dominant in the first quarter and piled the pressure on neighbours Namibia – at the end of the first quarter, it was the SPAR Proteas who were leading 16-8.
With the second quarter underway, it was the SPAR Proteas who were in the driving seat, controlling the tempo of the game. Both teams did not make any changes coming into the second quarter, and it was the SPAR Proteas who showed tactical discipline and dominance. South Africa enjoyed a 33-16 lead heading into halftime.
Jenny van Dyk made wholesale changes going into the championship quarter and brought in fresh legs from the likes of Owethu Ngubane, Nozipho Ntshangase and Tinita van Dyk. Namibia seemed to up the ante in the third quarter as they challenged for every ball on court. The Debmarine Desert ladies won the quarter 10-8, and the overall score still favoured the SPAR Proteas 41-26.
South Africa had to dig deep and claw their way back in the final quarter - coach Jenny van Dyk rotated a few players around and introduced Nonsikelelo Mazibuko in the shooting circle, and she made sure to take her chances and lead the team to victory. South Africa will face off against Malawi in the first semifinal on Thursday 24 September at 13:00 SAST.
SCORE BREAKDOWN
Q1 - SPAR Proteas 16 – 08 Namibia
Q2 - SPAR Proteas 17 – 08 Namibia
Q3 - SPAR Proteas 08 – 10 Namibia
Q4 - SPAR Proteas 14 – 07 Namibia