The senior challenge cup was earlier threatened with a deferment when a promise to host the event by South Africa was reneged upon by the Mpumalanga provincial government. Mpumalanga staged the 14-team event in July and August last year at the start of a three-year deal with Cosafa but there was a change in the Mpumalanga provincial leadership.

Cosafa president Suketu Patel said the event, which has been part of the African calendar since 1997, was almost in jeopardy but opened doors to other Cosafa member states to make offers, and Zimbabwe did.

Zimbabwe has already started a campaign to promote its tourism spots ahead of the 2010 soccer World Cup to be hosted by South Africa. The successful hosting of the Cosafa tournament will be its major launch pad.

South Africa’s Mpumalanga province shares borders with Zimbabwe which is a plus for a country that has been troubled with economic decline lately.

Cosafa member states are Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The tournament is mainly for members of the 15-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) except the Democratic Republic of Congo which is a SADC member state but considered to be in East Africa.

Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa have each won the trophy three times apiece.