Sinikiwe Gava Mpofu (21 February 1985 – 7 January 2023) was a Zimbabwean

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

player and coach. She represented the

Zimbabwe women's national cricket team The Zimbabwe women's national cricket team represents Zimbabwe in international women's cricket. The team is organised by Zimbabwe Cricket, a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Zimbabwe made its international debut in 200 ...

at two editions of the

Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier is an international cricket tournament that serves as the final step of the qualification process for the Women's Cricket World Cup. The Women's World Cup was first held in 1973, and for the first seve ...

. She later coached

Mountaineers Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

and Southerns in Zimbabwean domestic cricket.

Early life

Mpofu was born on 21 February 1985 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. She grew up in the suburb of Njube, attending Mtshede Primary School and

Mpopoma High School Mpopoma High School, which is also known as ''The High School'', is a mixed government day school that is located in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The school was established in 1959 and is known as one of the best schools in the City of Bulawayo. The school h ...

Playing career

Mpofu appeared in the

's first official international in 2006, playing alongside her high school classmate Thandolwenkosi Mlilo. She was an

all-rounder An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a handful of batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are consi ...

batting right-handed and bowling right-arm medium pace. She began her domestic career with Bulawayo-based Westerns, but relocated to

Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...

in 2007 to study journalism, and moved to Northerns, also joining the

Takashinga Cricket Club Takashinga Cricket Club is a cricket club in Highfield, Harare. Some of its famous members include Andy Flower and Tatenda Taibu. The club's ground is located at the Zimbabwe grounds in the Highfield. As of 2007-08, it is one of the strongest c ...

. Mpofu represented Zimbabwe at the

2008 Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier The 2008 Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier was an eight-team tournament held in South Africa in February 2008 to decide the final two qualifiers for the 2009 Women's Cricket World Cup. South Africa and Pakistan qualified, with the hosts beati ...

in South Africa and the

2011 Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier The 2011 Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier was a ten-team tournament held in Bangladesh in November 2011 to decide the final four qualifiers for the 2013 Women's Cricket World Cup. Additionally, the top two teams, excluding Sri Lanka and West I ...

in Bangladesh.

Coaching career

Mpofu was the first female Zimbabwean cricketer to transition to coaching. She coached Zimbabwean women's team

. During her tenure, Mountaineers won the 2020–21

Fifty50 Challenge The Fifty50 Challenge is a women's domestic one-day cricket competition organised by Zimbabwe Cricket. The competition began in the 2020–21 season, and sees four teams competing in 50-over matches. Eagles are the current holders, winning the l ...

. In 2021, she was named head coach of the Southerns women's team. She was part of the national team's technical staff at the

2022 ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier The 2022 ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier is an international women's cricket tournament that is scheduled to be held in 2022. It will be the fifth edition of the Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier and will serve as the qualification tournament ...

in the United Arab Emirates, under head coach

Gary Brent Gary Bazil Brent (born 13 January 1976) is a former Zimbabwean cricketer. Brent is an inswinging bowler, with a good slow-arm bowling technique. Having missed the cut for the 2003 Cricket World Cup, he made the squad for the 2003/04 tour in Aus ...

. She was also due to accompany the women's national under-19 team to the 2023 Under-19 Women's Cricket World Cup in South Africa, but took compassionate leave following her husband's death.

Personal life and death

Mpofu had two children with her husband Shepherd Makunura, a professional cricket coach, who died in December 2022 following a long illness. She died on 7 January 2023 at the age of 37, less than a month after her husband's death. She reportedly collapsed at her home in Masvingo and was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mpofu, Sinikwe 1985 births 2023 deaths Zimbabwean women cricketers Cricketers from Bulawayo Zimbabwean cricket coaches