Blantyre, Malawi – The Proteas launched their African Championships campaign with a winning start in their match against Namibia on Tuesday.

Feeling upbeat and confident going into today’s game, the SPAR Proteas used the match as a platform to test out combinations and pairings for the final, where they are likely to take on Malawi. Despite a bit of a slow start, the South African side had doubled their opponent’s points by the end of the first quarter, and carried the lead through to the end, where they defeated the Namibian team 75-34.

“We are playing some beautiful netball” said head coach Elize Kotze after the game, “The girls are adapting well and are strong minded. Colleen Ferreira was a stronghold in the tie, and it is a blessing to have Erin Burger back in the squad, who makes a huge difference on attack.”

Looking forward to tomorrow’s game where South Africa will take on Swaziland, Kotze is optimistic. “We will be analysing Swaziland this afternoon. It is difficult playing African countries because we have nothing on the teams, but we know that they play direct netball. We are not expecting them to be stronger than Namibia."