Proteas Women welcome Mandla Mashimbyi as new era begins amid England series challenge

Enoch Nkwe (director) during the South Africa women's national cricket head coach press conference at CSA Head Quarters on December 03, 2024 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images)

By Keanan Hemmonsbey

4 Dec 2024

Mandla Mashimbyi has been hired as Proteas Women’s coach with the objective of taking the team one step further than they have gone in the past two years.

The Proteas Women have appointed a new coach in former Titans coach Mandla Mashimbyi.

The team is currently in an ongoing multiformat series at home against England. They lost the T20I series 3-0 and now move on to the three-match Women’s One-Day International series before they play in their first Test at home in 22 years, the previous one having been against India in 2002.

Mashimbyi took over immediately from Dillon du Preez — who held the role on an interim basis — with his contract having started on 1 December 2024 and running until April 2027.

“It’s a dream come true to be able to make a small difference in making sure that the Proteas Women’s team reach the heights that everyone wants them to reach,” Mashimbyi said to reporters on Tuesday. “It’s an honour for me. It’s not something that I was thinking about for a long time, but now that it’s here it will all start making sense once I start hitting the road running.”

Du Preez, who declined to take the head coach post on a permanent basis, led the team for six months this year after longstanding coach Hilton Moreeng stepped down in May this year.

Mandla Mashimbyi during the Proteas Women's national cricket head coach press conference at CSA headquarters on 3 December 2024 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi / Gallo Images)

Director of National Teams and High Performance, Enoch Nkwe. (Photo: Sydney Seshibediv/vGallo Images)

In that short period in charge, Du Preez oversaw the side reach the final of the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates in October. It’s the second consecutive year the team have reached the final of the tournament, having achieved the same feat at home last year, without winning the trophy.

The goal for Mashimbyi as laid out by the Director of National Teams and High Performance, Enoch Nkwe, is to take that step further and bring home an elusive World Cup trophy. According to Mashimbyi, that will happen by creating a cohesive environment.

“What’s important for me is to see a team that’s united,” the new coach said. “A team that enjoys being with each other, and to create an environment that will be fertile for the players to reach their true potential.

“Once we do that, I’m sure we’ll be an unstoppable force in world cricket. We also need to make sure we put processes in place from a philosophy point of view, from a blueprint point of view in terms of how we’re going to train and play.

“You will see a change in the attitude and intensity at which they operate and that’s the main thing for me, that we play the game at a high intensity.”

‘I’m a cricket coach’

The current management team of the Proteas women, outside of the head coach, will remain the same with Mashimbyi not looking to deviate too much from a successful recipe.

In the series against England, Mashimbyi has said that he will not interrupt the ongoing processes too much, but will rather get to know everyone first before stamping his mark.

Mashimbyi has been head coach of the Titans, had a stint as bowling and assistant coach of the Proteas men as well as serving as fast bowling coach of the Paarl Royals in the SA20.

His work in women’s cricket is thus far limited, but he believes that the adjustment to the game won’t be any trouble.

“What we need to realise first is that I’m a cricket coach,” Mashimbyi said. “I will coach cricket. People are different, you have to find ways to go about that. Even in the men’s space, you don’t connect with players in the same way. It will be the same with the women.”

A fresh start

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has taken nearly two years to find a replacement for Moreeng. His contract initially ended in February 2023, at the conclusion of the T20 World Cup in South Africa. But with no replacements lined up, Moreeng was given a 12-month extension while CSA explored its options for a new coach. Still no suitable coach was found.

Moreeng stepped away from his position and forced CSA’s hand in replacing him. His right-hand man Du Preez was given the duty position and was offered the position full time, which he declined. Why is Mashimbyi the right fit now?

“He’s well experienced,” Nkwe said. “What really stood out for him is the vision for women’s cricket in general. He’s a people’s person, he connects well with players, with management.

“We’ve seen his work in the past where he’s had an opportunity to work in the Proteas men’s space. He’s been in our national pathway and he’s been fantastic in terms of his work.

“When he made himself available to be part of the process, it was so good for us as Cricket South Africa as a system to have someone of his calibre interested in the position.” DM

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South Africa

‘I’m a cricket coach’

A fresh start