8 STARS JOIN SA TEAMS

MBABANE – The pool of top athletes in the various sporting codes will soon run dry as players migrate to join other teams beyond the country’s borders.

In August, this publication revealed that 27 rugby players, including national team stars, had registered with international teams as far as Cyprus and England due to the sport having been suspended on the grounds of COVID-19. The Eswatini National Netball Association (ENNA) has not been exempt from this loss of talent as eight netball players joined this exodus and opted to play in South African teams as netball, among other ball games and martial arts, remains on ice in the country. The players come from elite teams such as the Swaziland Building Society (SBS) Netball League champions and rivals Correctional Service and Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS). The two teams boast of players who have vast experience in the sport as they have represented the country on international tournaments in national team capacity. These include Nomcebo Sibandze, Cebile Sibandze, Gcebile Dlamini, Nonhle Hlophe, Tenele Msibi, Simanga Vilakati, Mandisa Sihlongonyane and Ndukwenhle Masangane.

Most of the players said they did not officially register with the South African teams, but seized the opportunity to join the different teams during competitions for the sole purpose of keeping active. They attested that the enthusiasm and hunger to compete compelled them to spend on travelling and COVID-19 tests in order to play in the KZN Super League. “The teams from KZN allow two players from other provinces and one international player into their squad. We can’t resist, but join them in order to keep active. Some have registered officially, but I am still enquiring if I can register my team to compete in the league since netball is inactive here. It’s that bad and the country is losing a lot of talented players,” said one team manager and player who preferred to comment on condition of anonymity.

Loss

Drawn for comment on the subject, Eswatini Sports and Recreation Council (ESRC) Media Officer Dumisani Ntiwane lamented, the loss of talent, but also perceived it as an opportunity to gain more experience for the benefit of the national team. “It’s a pity that they are joining other teams outside the country but there is nothing that the sports council, can do because we are guided by the government. The advantage of this is that playing in professional leagues will in return help elevate the standard of the sport in the country, but also the domestic league will be affected negatively,” Ntiwane said. He said the decline of COVID-19 positive cases gave a glimmer of hope for the return of the suspended sports. Ntiwane also urged athletes and the nation at large to seize the opportunity to vaccinate for COVID-19.

“We value life more than anything else. We request the athletes to exercise patience and grab the opportunity to vaccinate because that can help bring back life to normalcy. We have learnt that the vaccine is also open for people aged above 18 years. The more we vaccinate, the better the chances of bringing back these sports,” he said. 

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