Enoch Nkwe: CSA working towards professional women league

By Mpumi Manyisi
6th November 2025

Cricket South Africa's director of national teams Enoch Nkwe says the federation is in full motion to ensure they introduce a professional women’s league to contribute to the visible growth of women’s cricket.

This comes after the Proteas Women returned home as silver medallists from the 2025 ICC Women's World Cup in India, marking their third final in a row across different formats.

Speaking to SABC Sport, Nkwe says the Proteas Women's success attests to the fact that the women’s game is headed in the right direction, and CSA will continue seeking for investments to help empower women cricketers and establish an elite women’s league.

“We keep having those discussions. We will be sitting around the table again to say how do we make it better, where do we find more investments," answered Nkwe.

"We have been really focusing on domestic cricket, to try and put a lot of investments into that and get it professional. As it stands the ladies are flying the flag high and we need to keep up with the global trends.

"So we are trying to work with SA20 so we can try to bridge the gap. But, definitely, the women’s league is something we are working on. We will continue to reach out and try and see who is ready to give us the backing to establish our own women’s league."

READ: Mashimbyi believes ODI World Cup final has unified Proteas Women

Nkwe says CSA has been intentional over the years to ensure the Proteas Women get the same benefits as the men's team, and he believes it is no surprise the ladies continue to break boundaries.

“We have been intentional about this, getting from amateur cricket to semi-professional, and making sure that the ladies get the same benefits as men. They fly business class and we even have equalised the match fees," added Nkwe.

The former Lions coach further praised coach Mandla Mashimbyi for leading the national team to its first-ever ODI World Cup final in just under a year at the helm.

“It is heartbreaking that we didn’t win, but I believe the team showed a different level of maturity under the leadership of coach Mandla.

"I mean he came in last year November, and he managed to instil a sense of belief in this group of players,” he concluded.