The meeting was called after Botswana could not host the World Cup qualifiers after only Zimbabwe confirmed participation. The two now join South Africa who qualified by virtue of being the World Cup hosts. Africa Softball Confederation (ASC) president, Marumo Morule, said in an interview the meeting unanimously agreed that the two countries that had shown interest in taking part in the qualifiers should automatically qualify. Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia attended the weekend meeting. Morule however, said the two teams should satisfy certain conditions before qualification is confirmed. The two teams are expected to have registered for the world event by June 10. Morule said this should be done early so that if the two fail to make it to the event, other nations could be given an opportunity. Morule, however, said it is regrettable that countries had to qualify in this manner. He said the procedure puts Africa at a disadvantage because they are going to meet teams that have gone through a rigorous qualifying process.
Morule, who is also the Botswana Softball Association (BSA) president, said the local side would now start preparations for the World Cup to be held in Cape Town in December. The team will play both Zimbabwe and South Africa in preparatory matches, but Morule ruled out playing further international matches. The three countries will play friendly matches in South Africa. The local team will mostly play the senior team as part of preparations "I think our local teams are good enough to give the junior team match practice," he said. Zimbabwe will make its debut at the World Cup while Botswana will be making its second appearance. Sixteen nations are expected to take part.
