The assistant coach for Zimbabwe’s women, Sinikiwe Mpofu, passed away at age 37. Her passing occurred less than a month after Shepherd Makunura, the men’s team fielding coach, passed away on December 15 of natural causes.
Mpofu collapsed at her home in Masvingo on Saturday, and according to the Zimbabwe Cricket website, she was declared dead when she arrived at a medical facility. A post-mortem was scheduled to ascertain the reason for her death.
What happened to Sinikiwe Mpofu?
At 9 am in Zimbabwe, Sinikiwe Mpofu, the assistant coach for the Zimbabwe Women’s National Team, passed tragically after collapsing. She was 37 years old.
Shepherd Makunura’s wife, Sinikiwe, predeceased him on December 15, 2022, at 46, following a protracted illness. Shepherd was the fielding coach for the Zimbabwe National Team at his death.
We played and discussed a lot of cricket together from the early to mid-1980s while growing up in Zimbabwe. Shepp was my boyhood friend and cricket brother, and I shall always miss him.
Sinikiwe Mpofu cause of death
Less than a month after Shepherd Makunura was laid to rest, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) announced the unexpected death of Sinikiwe Mpofu, assistant coach of the Zimbabwe Senior Women’s National Team.
After collapsing at her house in Masvingo this past Saturday morning, Mpofu, formerly popularly known as Sneeze former Zimbabwean international cricket player, was confirmed dead upon arriving at a medical institution. Her death had to be investigated by post-mortem to ascertain its exact cause.
Who was Sinikiwe Mpofu?
Mpofu, born on February 21, 1985, in Bulawayo, was a gifted all-arounder who played for Zimbabwe Women in their historic first international cricket match in December 2006.
She began playing the game while still a student at Mpopoma High School and later made appearances for the regional team Westerns.
When she relocated to Harare to pursue further study in 2007, she joined the Takashinga Cricket Club and made it into the Northern team.
Following the end of her playing career, she entered the coaching and scoring fields. She quickly rose to become a crucial member of ZC’s game development structures at the provincial and national levels.
Mpofu was a member of the technical staff that helped the Zimbabwe Women rule Africa, gain one-day international status, and most recently finished one victory short of making the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
The Mountaineers Women won Zimbabwe’s inaugural provincial one-day tournament for women, the Fifty50 Challenge, under her direction as Head Coach in the 2020–21 season. They reached another final the previous year under her leadership, coming in second place in the Women’s T20 Cup.
Social media Condolences & tributes:
I’m here with more depressing news. Shepherd Makunura, the late former assistant coach of the Zimbabwe Men’s Cricket Team, was married to Sinikiwe Mpofu, who has already moved in with her devoted spouse. In a month, tragedy has befallen the families of Makunura and Mpofu twice. As the two families grieve Sinikiwe’s passing, our thoughts and prayers are with them. In these trying times, may God grant them courage and solace.
I’m here with more depressing news. The wife of the late former Zimbabwe Men’s Cricket Team Assistant Coach Shepherd Makunura, Sinikiwe Mpofu, who passed away in December, has passed away. She was the assistant coach for the Zimbabwe National Ladies Cricket team.
She will be noted for being Zimbabwe’s first woman to lead a national cricket team. the first woman in Zimbabwe to lead the national team as a player and coach. I send the family my sincere condolences. I pray that God will give you courage and solace during this trying time. To the children, my heartfelt sympathies Sneezy. Be well.
Read Also: How did Adam Bradshaw die? News Director cause of death and Obituary