ZRP Mambas team coach Talent Musaka has described the late Pauline Jani as a unique player who has left a huge void in the netball fraternity.
The former national team and ZRP Mambas goal shooter succumbed to an undisclosed illness at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals yesterday where she has been admitted for the past few days.
Jani, who was also serving as a police officer, was part of the maiden 2019 Gems World Cup squad which made a remarkable eighth finish at the meet.
However, she retired from international football soon after the global showpiece but continued to play for her local club, ZRP Mambas. She bagged the golden hand Award in the Rainbow Amateur Netball League since the return of netball in 2021 after the COVID-19 break.
Jani remained one of the best shooters in the country and her talent in the shooting circle will be remembered by many, and an inspiration for the upcoming players, according to Musaka.
“I really have nothing much to say except that I'm shuttered. We have lost a pillar in our team and we have been robbed of a talented netball player who is very difficult to replace. Mambas is not going to be the same without Pauline. She was a fighter and was always eager to win and winning was always what she wanted. She never wanted to associate herself with failure,” Musaka said.
“We are going to miss her services. She helped us to win at several competitions nationally and internationally. May her soul rest in peace.”
Mourners are gathered at ZRP Highfields New Camp and burial arrangements will be announced in due course.
- ZRP Mambas shooter dies
