The Malawi Women’s National Football Team, The Scorchers, will be without key players Tabitha Chawinga, Rose Kabzere, and Temwa Chawinga in their upcoming international friendlies against South Africa’s Banyana Banyana on April 5 and 8.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) competitions and communications director, Gomezgani Zakazaka, confirmed their unavailability, attributing it to South Africa’s late confirmation of the matches. While the fixtures fall within the FIFA Women’s International Window (March 31 – April 9), the delay in scheduling meant the France-based and U.S.-based trio could not be released by their respective clubs.
However, the Scorchers will still have the services of four foreign-based players, including:
✅ Chimwemwe Madise (DR Congo)
✅ Bernadette Mkandawire (Kazakhstan)
✅ Vanessa Chikupira (Kazakhstan)
✅ Sabina Thom (Georgia) – who has already joined the squad in Blantyre.
Head coach Lovemore Fazili emphasized that the matches will be crucial for the team’s preparations ahead of their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifiers against Angola on October 20.
The Scorchers earned automatic progression to the second round after Congo Brazzaville withdrew from the competition. Their recent friendly results against Zambia—a 2-0 loss followed by a 3-2 victory—have given the team valuable match practice.
South Africa’s Football Association invited Malawi for the friendlies as part of Banyana Banyana’s preparations for the delayed 2024 WAFCON finals, which will take place from July 5-26 in Morocco.
Despite the absence of key players, the Scorchers remain focused on building momentum ahead of their competitive fixtures.
