JOHANNESBURG (South Africa) - Basketball South Africa (BSA) ended their hunt for coaches for their women's and men's national teams, it's been announced. 

On Wednesday, Cape Town Tigers coach, Florsheim Ngwenya and Nomalamga Hlophe were respectively announced as coaches of the men’s and women’s national teams ahead of the FIBA AfroCan and Women's AfroBasket Qualifiers tournaments to be held in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (February 20-28).

Florsheim Ngwenya is seen here at 2009 AfroBasket in Libya 

The late appointment of the coaches by BSA means Ngwenya and Hlophe are in a race against time to select suitable players for their missions in Zimbabwe. 

The South African  men's team will face Southern African neighbours Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe in the AfroCan qualifiers. While the women's team battle it out with Angola, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe in the AfroBasket qualifiers. 

Ngwenya, is not a newcomer to the men’s national team. He led South Africa  from 2007 and his tenure ended after the 2011 AfroBasket in Madagascar.

The returning national team coach's success with the Tigers may have helped his case, as he qualified the Cape Town-based club for a second appearance at the upcoming season of the Basketball Africa League.

Craig Gilchrist 

Former South African international player Craig Gilchrist, who coached his country in their last major international appearance at 2017 AfroBasket, will also make a comeback. He will this time, work again as Ngwenya’s assistant as they try to achieve the monumental task of helping South Africa to qualify for their first AfroCan tournament.

Coming to the women’s team, not much is known about new coach Nomalanga Hlophe, apart from the fact that she was an assistant to Kimathi Toboti during the 2015 AfroBasket in Yaounde, Cameroon.

Hlophe will be assisted by former national team player Nosipho Njokweni.

Njokweni, who played in the 2015 AfroBasket earned her coaching stripes with Women’s Basketball National League franchise, Soweto Panthers. The two women will have to whip up a miracle to see South Africa qualify for a seventh AfroBasket.

Nosipho Njokweni

The announcement of the coaches will have pleased many South African basketball fans and players, who have not seen their senior national teams in action for some time.

FIBA