Africa-Press – Botswana. Gaborone United Ladies’ triumph in the CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA Qualifiers is being hailed as the result of player dedication, strong leadership and long-term investment in women’s football.
When Gaborone United Ladies goalkeeper Tlamelo Pheresi stopped three penalties in the shootout against Zambia’s Zesco Ndola Girls, she etched her name into Botswana’s football history and the wider region.
But for team manager Owe Mmolawa, the victory echoed beyond the event of a single performance. It was the culmination of years of hard work, consistent support, and an evolving commitment to women’s football in Botswana.
Not least, the Chairman and financier…
“This win is through the hard work and dedication that these ladies have put in,” Mmolawa said after the club lifted the trophy of the 2025 CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA Qualifiers.
“They deserve all the credit, and we are proud of the effort. It really makes us happy.”
Mmolawa also shone the spotlight on the Chairman and financier of Gaborone United, Nicholas Zackhem, whose long-term investment in women’s football has set the club apart in a region where resources are often scarce.
The sponsors and the tech partner
“Without taking anything from the players, we must also credit the chairman,” he said. “He is very passionate and resolute about this ladies’ team. Just like the men’s team, the women’s team players are employees, not volunteers. We try to avail all we can to them.”
That model of professionalising women’s football in Botswana appears to be paying dividends.
Buoyed by sponsors, Bank Gaborone and Sunbet and technical partner Zone Two Sportswear, Gaborone United now stand as Southern Africa’s representatives at the CAF Women’s Champions League finals later this year.
The coaches and the fans
Coach William Monene, who guided the squad through victories over Costa do Sol of Mozambique in the semifinals and Zesco Ndola in the final, used the triumph to call for broader recognition of the women’s game.
“My country doesn’t appreciate our efforts,” he told reporters, referring to Rwanda. “But I would still like to thank the players, members of the coaching staff, the fans, and COSAFA for giving us a platform to showcase our abilities.”
Speaking in the afterglow of the celebrations, Monene said his immediate priority is to ensure that his players rest before preparations for the continental finals begin.
For a team that has shown what vision, support and structure can achieve, the next stage represents both a challenge and an opportunity to push women’s football in Botswana to new heights.
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