Chronicle Editor
Innocent Kurira
18-year-old Arnold Thubelihle Dube braves the chilly morning as he runs laps around the dusty Ndola Stadium in Iminyela suburb in Bulawayo.
After finishing his laps, he does six sets of sit-ups super setting with 20X3 push-ups and then takes a sip of water, as he heads back home where he finishes his workout of four sets of 10 chin-ups.
This has become the new normal for the teenage footballer, who had been used to kicking a ball, but now hasn’t done so in three months.
This is certainly not how he had envisaged 2020 to be.
Dube should be almost half-way into his Division One debut season after joining Southern Region side Ajax Hotspurs during the off-season before Covid-19 jeopardised his plans.
The pandemic has changed people’s way of life in every aspect.
All sporting activity is at a standstill and schooling is suspended during this lockdown meant to help contain the spread of Covid-19.
Each year had presented a step forward for the young midfielder, who is comfortable in either a central attacking or defensive role.
In 2018 he was playing for Mpumelelo FC Under-18 before moving to Bantu Leopards in Division Two last year.
He feels the Covid-19 pandemic has derailed his blossoming career.
“I feel this pandemic has been a major setback for me personally. I was looking forward to making my Division One debut, but all that has been stalled. I feel the forced break has now been too long and sitting at home has become really frustrating,” said Dube.
“For some of us, football is our life, so being home and doing nothing has been a very big challenge.
“However, my father and family have been very supportive and they tell me to maintain discipline each day by following my training programme to keep fit till all this is over and things return to normalcy.”
As much as the lockdown has weighed him down, Dube believes only discipline will take his career to the next level.
His goal is to break into the Premier Soccer League at the age of 20 and possibly move abroad.
He hopes to make an immediate impact at the Mpopoma-based side, which had a hand in shaping the careers of some of the country’s notable stars, who include national team left-back Divine Lunga, who now plies his trade in the South African Premiership for Golden Arrows, Highlanders central defender Peter Muduhwa, FC Platinum central midfielder Denzel Khumalo and Highlanders’ wingback Mbongeni Ndlovu.
“I will stick to my daily personal training routine for as long as the lockdown remains in place so that I don’t play catch up when we’re finally allowed to train as a team and league action starts,” Dube said.
— @innocentskizoe
Online Reporter