Netball legend regrets not being recognised at home

Lovemore Dube

BOTSWANA and Zimbabwe netball legend Sithulile Mlotshwa celebrated her 50th birthday in Gaborone, Botswana last Wednesday with one thing troubling her.

A member of the Zimbabwe national netball team from 1991 under Trust Phambane right through the 1995 All-Africa Games, Mlotshwa is hurt. She is like a nobody in the country’s ecosystem, a forgotten woman despite so many fond memories about the game in Zimbabwe.

A star defender during her days and multi-awards winner, Mlotshwa has risen to be a member of the technical team in Botswana, a team with a better international recognition in her very sport.

“I feel sad that I am not being recognised back home as a coach,” said Mlotshwa whose international exposure through the Botswana national team and club Notwane she hopes can someday help the game in Zimbabwe.

She paid tribute to Tebogo Kesupile, a woman who taught her advanced netball on arrival in 1994 as a professional netball player in Botswana at Notwane Netball Club.

“She later trained me to be a coach. She retired from coaching Notwane and I took over,” she said.

In Zimbabwe, Mlotshwa believes the late Ernest Zikhali, her coach at Sobukhazi High School and Phambane in the national teams were instrumental in making her a better player. She also attended Lotshe Primary School in Makokoba where it all started for her.

“Like most people, it all started at primary school where I dabbled in a number of disciplines but at some stage, I was forced to make a choice. I chose netball as training sessions often clashed with other disciplines. This was when I was in Grade One where I made it to the school’s Division Five side and was promoted from one league to the other as I grew older at the school,” said Mlotshwa.

She was introduced to a club in the late 1980s.

“I joined Chopper Netball Club who were based in Nguboyenja and the team changed to Highlanders Netball Club in 1989,” said Mlotshwa.

She got her first national team call-up in 1990 but could not get to the camp because of financial problems. Things started happening for her in 1991 when she won the Best Player Award at the Highlanders Sports Awards Night.

“That was the most exciting moment of my career, I have never been so excited. There was also a cheque to it,” she said from Notwane.

She debuted for the Gems in 1992 against Malawi and remembers how proud she was to sing the national anthem while in Zimbabwe colours. She moved to Botswana in 1994 where she holds certificates in umpiring, technical official and coaching.

In 2013 she became the first Zimbabwean to be appointed assistant national netball team coach and led the country in 2016 to a bronze medal in Singapore. She stayed in the national team of Botswana framework up to 2019 and is at the moment coaching Notwane club.

She says her dream is to give back to the country that bore her, and gave her a chance to learn netball before she could become an international star. She believes she would add a different dimension to the development of the sport if invited to play a role someday.