Optimistic Sevens side leaves for Zambia

The 12-member team will be under new coach, Andrew Paxinos after Mooketsi Ramakele quit the post recently.

The team had insufficient time to prepare for the tournament but its chances of progressing to the next stage have been brightened by the absence of Uganda, Swaziland and Mauritius. Four out of the five remaining teams will progress to the next round, which means only one team will miss out. The other four teams in contention are Madagascar, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.