Injury crisis threatens women’s volleyball campaign

As key tournaments begin

NTHAKO MAJORO

MASERU – A shadow of uncertainty hangs over Lesotho’s women’s beach volleyball squad as a series of undisclosed player injuries threatens to derail their preparations for two major continental competitions kicking off this week in Maputo, Mozambique.

The African Nations Championship begins today in the Mozambican capital and runs through Saturday, immediately followed by the CAVB Zone VI Third Tour tournament, which starts on Sunday and continues until next Tuesday. The condensed schedule presents a gruelling test for any team, but for a Lesotho side already depleted by injury, the challenge appears even more daunting.

According to Charlie Maanya, Public Relations Officer of the Lesotho Volleyball Association (LVA), the team has been forced to drop one of its three planned pairs due to an undisclosed injury sustained by player Itumeleng Mareka, who normally partners with Moleboheng Mofolo.

“We usually compete with three pairs of players, but for the upcoming events we had to drop one pair due to an injury,” Maanya told the Public Eye yesterday.

“This followed the undisclosed injury of Itumeleng Mareka.”

Maanya explained that the squad could not bring in a replacement pair because the players had already participated in the First and Second Tours of the CAVB Zone VI series earlier this season.

“We couldn’t replace them, as they had already begun their First and Second Tours of the CAVB Zone VI,” he said.

The two pairs selected to carry Lesotho’s hopes are Neo Chapole and Moroesi Tolofi as the first pair, and Palesa Mapota with Relebohile Ntakha as the second pair.

However, further concerns have emerged. This publication has learned that first-pair player Neo Chapole is nursing a knee injury. Sources indicate she has been reluctant to disclose the full extent of the problem, fearing that medical intervention – potentially involving a plaster cast – would rule her out of both tournaments and jeopardise her chances of accumulating crucial qualifying points for the Los Angeles Olympic Games.

According to insiders, Chapole believed her condition might have improved had former coach Thabo Maboee not resigned approximately one month ago, as she felt he possessed the expertise to help her manage the injury. Maboee’s departure followed misunderstandings with some indoor volleyball clubs over player availability and selection, with club coaches insisting they needed their players for domestic league matches. The LVA attempted to mediate, Maanya confirmed, but ultimately could not resolve the dispute.

Following Maboee’s resignation, the LVA appointed Moholo Lekomola to lead the team on short notice.

The African Nations Championship represents a critical pathway to global glory. The top two teams in each division will advance to the main African Championship, scheduled to take place between August 1 and November 15 this year. That event, in turn, serves as a key qualifying route for both the 2027 World Championships and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Lesotho will face formidable opposition at the African Nations Championship, including Namibia, Botswana, eSwatini, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Angola, and the host nation Mozambique. The CAVB Zone VI Third Tour will then see Lesotho compete against Namibia, Botswana, eSwatini, South Africa, Zambia, and Mozambique once again.

Despite the injury cloud, there are reasons for optimism. The pairing of Chapole and Tolofi delivered outstanding performances earlier this season, claiming gold at the CAVB Zone VI First Tour in Namibia two months ago and following it with silver at the Second Tour in Mozambique last month. Those results demonstrate the squad’s potential when at full strength.

The CAVB Zone VI circuit continues beyond this week’s fixtures. The 4th Leg will again be staged in Maputo from August 7–9, followed by the 5th Leg in Swakopmund, Namibia from September 25–27.

Maanya confirmed that the Lesotho team departed for Maputo on Monday and is expected to return home on May 6. Whether they return with medals or regrets may depend entirely on how effectively their injury-hit squad can withstand the physical and mental demands of two back-to-back tournaments on African sand.

For now, a small, determined group of players – some carrying injuries they dare not reveal – remain Lesotho’s only line of defence against a continent’s best.