South African women ended their 12-year wait in the All-Africa Men’s & Women’s Team Championships by coming from behind to defeat Uganda 3-2 last week.
In the final in Cairo, Egypt, singles players Gladys Mbabazi and Husina Kobugabe put Uganda two-up with straight games victories over Deidre Laurens and Diane Oliver respectively.
Third singles Johanita Scholtz however started South Africa’s revival with a 21-11 21-14 win over Fadilah Shamika Mohamed Rafi before the doubles pairings of Amy Ackerman/Laurens and Megan De Beer/Scholtz put two more points on the board to seal the gold medal.
The record-extending sixth title is South Africa’s first since 2012.
The ladies’ team will represent Africa at the TotalEnergies BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals 2024 in Chengdu, China in April.