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Ellina Mhlanga, Senior Sports Reporter

THE netball family was yesterday thrown into mourning following the death of former national team goal shooter Pauline Jani.

Jani passed on in the early hours of yesterday at Parirenyatwa Hospital after an undisclosed illness.

She was 34.

Jani was a member of the Zimbabwe Republic Police and was turning out for their outfit ZRP Mambas in the Rainbow Netball League.

ZRP Sports Director Abel Chimukoko said they have lost one of their best players who would go the extra mile, even when she was not well, to assist the team.

“She passed on around 3am at Parirenyatwa. She was admitted on Thursday last week.

“She was coughing and vomiting, that is what she was complaining about. Then she went to the police hospital at Morris Depot; that was on Wednesday and she was admitted and (on Thursday) she was referred to Parirenyatwa but her condition continued to deteriorate.

“We have lost one of our best players, our key player. With Pauline, we knew as long as she was in the game she would deliver.

“Even at Mambas, even though it was on and off because of sickness, Mambas Netball Queens have been playing very well, including at the SARPCCO Games. She was a key player. She was one of the best shooters even in the national team; she was so good.

“She was so humble, reserved… It’s a huge loss for us. It’s going to take us ages to find someone like Pauline,” said Chimukoko.

Jani played for the national team for more than a decade and was part of the history making Gems side that competed at the 2019 Netball World Cup in England, and finished eighth.

Prior to joining Mambas, she had played for several clubs including Gaths Mine, which was her first club in 2009, when she was still in high school at Pamushana. She also turned out for Shangani Mine and Railstars.