Former Zimbabwe netball player Pauline Jani, who represented both the national team Gems and the Black Mambas, has died at the age of 34.
Jani had been battling a long illness and was recently admitted to the hospital, The Sunday Mail reported.
She gained recognition for her impressive performance at the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup that was held in Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Mourners have gathered at the Highfield new police camp in Harare to pay their respects. Jani, who was also a constable in the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), was highly regarded in the netball community. ZRP Mambas head coach Talent Museka confirmed the death adding that her death is a significant loss. He said:
It is sad that we have lost Pauline. This is a loss not only to us as ZRP Mambas but the entire netball fraternity.
Even after retiring from international netball, she remained involved in the local netball scene and received several awards for her contributions. In 2021, she was honoured with the golden hand accolade for the RANL Dry Season Tournament, and she continued to shine in the subsequent netball seasons, earning the Rainbow Netball Amateur League golden hand medals in 2021 and 2022.