The South African senior men's national team is en route to Maputo to face Mozambique in a crucial double-header, marking the start of their qualifying campaign for Group A of the 2025 AfroBasket. After a brief delay in arrival, the South African team is expected to join the competition on Friday.
This match between South Africa and Mozambique has been highly anticipated, especially after South Africa was the only team to register to participate in the games, leading to the need to postpone the competition for a week at the request of South Africa, Mozambique, and FIBA-Africa Zone VI.
Surprisingly, the South Africans remained discreet about their trip and the composition of their delegation, adopting a strategic game similar to blind man's bluff, seeking to avoid any "scouting" of the squad by their opponents.
This return of South Africa to African qualifying competitions is a significant milestone, driven by the consistent performance of the Cape Town Tigers in the Basketball Africa League, one of whose stages will be held in Pretoria this year.
Regarding the officiating for the AfroBasket 2025 pre-qualifying games, FIBA-Africa has already appointed the officials who will officiate the games. Paulo Madeira, President of Zone VI, will act as commissioner, while the officiating quartet will be composed of Amr Zahed and Selim M. Elsmenshewy from Egypt, N'Shuti Didier Shema from Rwanda, and Dorothy Okatch from Botswana.
As South Africa, along with officials designated by FIBA-Africa, prepare to arrive in Maputo this Friday afternoon, the atmosphere of anticipation is growing. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the first game of the Group A qualifying round for AfroBasket 2025, anticipating an exciting and intense competition between these two teams determined to achieve victory.
