Gangata joins dressing room rave: ‘Kuzapita kuzapita’ as Malawi reach final
Sports Minister Alfred Gangata joined the Malawi national women’s football team’s dressing room in scenes of unrestrained jubilation, dancing and singing wildly as the Scorchers continued their remarkable fairy-tale run at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, booking their place in the final with a stunning 3-1 victory over Algeria in Rabat.
Gangata was joined by Football Association of Malawi president Fleetwood Haiya, with the pair moving together in a jubilant circle, singing what appeared to be mostly praise and worship songs echoing around the packed dressing room – lyrics including “ayitama koyamba ndamva, ayitana kachiwili ndamva, ayitana kachitatu ndavomela…” ringing out among the celebrations.
The elated minister was later seen picking up a speaker himself, joyfully dancing along to the popular chant “kuzapita kuzapita, kuzabwelera mbuyo” – a rousing song frequently belted out by Malawian fans in support of the national teams.
Scorchers head coach Lovemore Fazili was similarly captured in high spirits amid the celebrations, while his deputy Maggie Chombo was seen busting out her own dance moves, giving the boogie-woogie a thorough workout as the party continued long after the final whistle.
The players themselves appeared to be firmly in cloud nine as the scenes of celebration unfolded around them.
Malawi’s remarkable success at this year’s expanded 16-team tournament in Morocco is proving that women’s football across Africa has the genuine potential to grow well beyond the continent’s traditional powerhouse nations.
Excluding the inaugural edition of the tournament back in 1998, Malawi have become the first-ever debutant nation to reach a WAFCON final – an astonishing achievement given they arrived at this year’s tournament as the lowest-ranked of all 16 qualifying sides.
Having already secured their place at next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil courtesy of their remarkable run to the semi-finals, the Scorchers now find themselves on the brink of something truly special – and with sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga firing on all cylinders up front, anything genuinely appears possible.
With Tabitha having helped OL Lyonnes to another French league title last season, and Temwa claiming a second golden boot and MVP award with NWSL side Kansas City Current, there was already considerable hype surrounding the sisters heading into this campaign.
That hype now appears entirely justified, with the pair having scored an extraordinary eight of their team’s 12 goals between them at this tournament – five for Temwa and three for Tabitha – showcasing a level of pace, power and positional awareness that opposition defences have simply struggled to contain.
Ranked a lowly 153rd in the world coming into the tournament, Malawi have well and truly taken WAFCON by storm, defying every prediction and expectation along the way.
With just one final hurdle now remaining, and on this remarkable current form, the Chawinga sisters and their teammates will feel there is genuinely no opponent they cannot beat when it matters most.
