Protea Warriors Retain African Crown as SPAR Proteas Claim Silver in Nail-Biting Nairobi Finals

NAIROBI, KENYA – South Africa wrapped up an action-packed 2026 Africa Netball Cup campaign at the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani on Saturday with a gold and silver medal haul. In two fiercely contested championship deciders, the Protea Warriors dug deep in the final minutes to successfully defend their men’s continental title with a 49-45 victory over Eswatini, while the SPAR Proteas fell agonizingly short in a 56-53 thriller against newly crowned champions Uganda.

Protea Warriors Show Championship Grit to Defend Title Against Eswatini

In a repeat of the 2024 final, the Protea Warriors went head-to-head with a determined Eswatini outfit. Unlike their opening-day group clash where South Africa had to claw back from a halftime deficit, Head Coach Shiko Mokaila’s charges came out firing from the first whistle.

Led on court by starting seven Lutendo Maiwashe (GS), Eugene Sinxezi (GA), Romeo Nqcaku (WA), Kwandile Sithole (C), Zimi Mbungwana (WD), Njabulo Nekhavhambe (GD), and Vukile Zulu (GK), the defending champions found early fluency. South Africa dictated the opening exchanges to secure a 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter, before stretching their advantage to a comfortable 26-21 by halftime.

However, Eswatini refused to fold. Five minutes into the third quarter, South Africa still held a four-goal cushion, but the momentum shifted dramatically over the next 10 minutes. With Eswatini’s defensive pair of Sthabiso Mzileni and captain Fortune Neves tightening the screws at the back, and shooters Brandon Dlamini and Ndukwe Masangane converting pressure into points, Eswatini surged back into the contest to leave everything to play for in the final 15 minutes.

A Nerve-Wracking Final Stanza

A crucial turnover three minutes into the fourth quarter saw the scores locked at 38-38, with nothing separating the two sides. The Protea Warriors managed to force a turnover of their own and score twice to edge ahead 40-38, before wayward passes from both camps under intense defensive pressure kept the contest on a knife-edge heading into the final stages.

The decisive breakthrough arrived with just two minutes left on the clock. South Africa forced a vital Eswatini turnover and capitalized fully to open up breathing space at 48-45. Holding the subsequent centre pass, the Warriors made no mistake on their restart, stretching the lead to 49-45 and ensuring the African trophy returns home to South Africa.

Men’s Final Score Breakdown:

Q1: South Africa 14 – 10 Eswatini
Q2: South Africa 26 – 21 Eswatini
Q3: South Africa 33 – 36 Eswatini
Q4: South Africa 49 – 45 Eswatini

SPAR Proteas Push Uganda to the Wire to Secure Silver

Following the men’s triumph, the SPAR Proteas took to the court against fellow unbeaten side Uganda in a heavyweight clash between Africa’s top two ranked nations.

South Africa made a blistering start, jumping out to an early 8-5 lead. Uganda responded by ratcheting up their defensive press, drawing level at 9-9 and forcing uncharacteristic errors into the South African attack. A missed pass inside the shooting circle with three minutes remaining in the opening quarter handed the She-Cranes a golden opportunity to break the deadlock and score off their ensuing restart for an 11-9 lead. With both sides executing faultless centre passes for the remainder of the frame, Uganda took a slender 15-13 advantage into the first break.

The Four-Minute Turning Point

The opening five minutes of the second quarter remained fiercely competitive as South Africa closed to within a single goal at 18-17. However, a decisive four-minute spell midway through the quarter altered the trajectory of the final.

After Uganda scored off their centre pass to lead 19-17, a misplaced South African pass gifted the East Africans possession, which they converted before scoring off their next restart to push the gap to four goals (21-17). On South Africa’s subsequent centre pass, Uganda pulled off a crucial interception and punished the turnover once more, following it up with another clinical restart conversion to suddenly surge ahead 23-17.

Both teams traded goals off their respective restarts for the final eight minutes of the half, sending the teams into the halftime interval with Uganda leading 31-27.

Late Proteas Surge Falls Just Short

With nothing to lose in the championship quarter, South Africa pressed high up the court in search of turnovers. Yet Uganda kept their composure under intense pressure, capitalizing on South African errors to stretch their cushion to eight goals (41-33) late in the period before closing the third stanza ahead 44-37.

Needing only to manage the clock and maintain their momentum in the final 15 minutes, Uganda held firm despite a brave late fightback from Jenny van Dyk’s charges. The SPAR Proteas narrows the deficit in the dying minutes, but time ran out as Uganda sealed a 56-53 victory to be crowned the 2026 African Champions.

Despite the narrow heartbreak in the final, the rotated SPAR Proteas squad walks away with a well-earned silver medal and invaluable international combinations tested ahead of the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney.