Desert Jewels depart for World Cup qualifiers
Namibia’s Debmarine Desert Jewels depart for Nairobi today to compete for one of the two remaining African qualification places for the Netball World Cup Sydney 2027.
The qualifiers, which double as the Africa Netball Cup, will take place from 19 to 26 September. Namibia set to face some of the continent’s leading netball nations in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Desert Jewels are ranked 14th in the World Netball rankings, while South Africa and Uganda, ranked fifth and sixth respectively, have already secured qualification through their world rankings.
Both teams will, however, still participate in the tournament as they compete for continental honours.
Namibia’s qualifying campaign will begin against Botswana on Sunday. The Desert Jewels will then face Zimbabwe on Monday before taking on Tanzania in their final group match on 23 September.
Before the official competition gets underway, the Namibian side will fine-tune its preparations through warm-up matches against Uganda, Malawi and hosts Kenya.
Determined
Speaking at the team’s official send-off, Desert Jewels captain Mwale Mulenamaswe said the players were determined to make their sacrifices count ahead of the tournament.
“Each one of us has sacrificed a lot to be here, and as we head to Nairobi, let us remember those sacrifices,” Mulenamaswe said.
The send-off was held at the Namibia Sports Commission, where chief administrator Freddy Mwiya expressed his appreciation to Debmarine Namibia for its continued support of the national team.
Mwiya said the company’s investment had eased the financial burden on the commission and allowed it to focus its resources on other priorities.
“We appreciate Debmarine for investing in the team. It permits us to relax and focus on other priorities,” Mwiya said.
Debmarine Namibia communications officer Stella Ipinge said the partnership extends beyond the team’s matches.
“Our partnership with the Desert Jewels has never been about sponsoring matches alone.
“It has been about investing in people, creating opportunities and helping to build a sustainable future for women in sport in Namibia,” Ipinge said.
