Sundaymail Editor
Sports Reporter
WHEN most of her team-mates from the Gems’ Class of 2019 decided to call time on their careers, questions were asked as to why Ursula Ndlovu did not follow suit.
Even some of her most loyal fans seemed to be of the opinion the Zimbabwe goal attacker was way past her prime, and it was now time to put her down to pasture. All this talk seemed to take a toll on Ndlovu.
“At some point, I lost all confidence and practically gave up,” recalls Ndlovu.
“Besides people gossiping about me, the fact that some of my mates had left made me feel the void even more.
“However, I remembered how far this game had taken me and what quitting would mean for my family. This gave me the urge to get back to the court and prove my worth,” she said. And prove her worth she did.
The 2023 World Cup Qualifiers could not have come at a better time, as Ndlovu turned back the clock and confounded her critics.
Despite coming on as a substitute in most of her appearances, she made sure to leave the arena spellbound with her clinical ball control and sharp passes. With the qualifiers done and dusted, and Zimbabwe’s place at next year’s World Cup secured, The Sunday Mail Sport sought to shine a little light on this seasoned veteran and an integral part of the Gems’ ensemble. Ndlovu was part of the team that made history when the country made its debut appearance at the 2019 Netball World Cup in Liverpool.
They finished the tournament in commendable eighth position.
The previous year, she had bagged the Super League top goal scorer with Harare City Netball Queens.
However, her storied career is deeper than just one memorable tournament and accolade.
It is during her primary and secondary school days at Nkulumane Primary and Msiteli High School, respectively, that Ndlovu’s sporting career began.
At the time, she made a name for herself as a short-distance runner and basketball player.
“I used to be a short-distance athlete, but when I graduated into High School, I fell in love with basketball,” she recalls.
However, one day she was dragged by a friend to cheer the school netball team in a match that would change her life.
Things were turning ugly for Msiteli, forcing Ndlovu to approach the coach and offer to play.
Initially, he refused, but as tension mounted, he gave her the chance.
“That encounter changed my sporting life, and I fell in love with the sport.
“I even abandoned basketball,” she said.
To date, the Gems goal attacker is well-known for her endurance and ability to excel during pressure moments.
In 2013, she made her debut at the National Youth Games at White City Stadium in Bulawayo and even earned herself a spot in the Bulawayo Province team.
Between 2014 and 2015, she played for prison side Conmara Queens before moving to Beta Queens in 2016.
The following year, she found a new home at Harare City, and it was at the club where she became a household name.
“Sometimes I watch myself on video and wonder how I pull it off on the court.
“It is just a miracle,” she said.
“I inherited the talent from my late mother who played for Mbalabala, Rail Stars and ZDF.
“I recall on January 12, 2017, when I got the Harare City Queens goal attacker bib, I suddenly remembered that it was the same position my mother played.
“It made me realise that I belonged on the court.”
For most of her childhood, Ndlovu lived under the care of her maternal grandmother, and the two were very close.
Everything she earned often went to her.
Unfortunately, she passed away in 2020.
“Whenever I got any earnings from netball, be it from national duty or the club, I often thought of my grandmother first.
“And when she died in 2020, I was devastated.
“She would always tell me that I am a fighter, and her words keep me going to this day.
Online Reporter