The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
BOTSWANA netball national team women’s coach, Sithulile Mlotshwa is set to retrace her footsteps to where she first made her name in the sport when she attends the Bosso@91 Sports Festival scheduled for early next month.
Mlotshwa was playing for Highlanders in 1994 when she moved to Notwane Sports Club where she got her first professional netball contract. She will be leading the Notwane netball teams that will compete against local sides at the commemorative sports gala scheduled for 1 to 3 September. Mlotshwa said she is excited about making the trip to Bulawayo and leading her club to Highlanders Sports Club.
“It will certainly be a nostalgic trip for me and I am quite excited about having to return to the place that shaped the beginning of my career and ultimately led me to the success that I have achieved so far. I am looking forward to the tournament it has been my dream to take it and I am happy it is coming to fruition now,” she said.
Mlotshwa is the head coach at Notwane, in charge of both the ladies and men’s teams. She spearheaded the revival of the sport at Highlanders about three years ago when she heard there was no longer netball being played at the club. Mlotshwa said she had to look for her former teammates at the club and asked them to come on board and revive netball at Highlanders.
“It was saddening to learn that netball was no long part of the disciplines at Highlanders and naturally I could not rest because Highlanders made me who I am. I decided to contact those I used to play with who are still based in the city and asked them to form a committee and revive the sport.
“I am glad it worked out well and there is now a competitive team that is playing regularly,” she said.
Mlotshwa’s move to Notwane saw her turn to coaching at the advice of her then coach, Tebogo Kesupile in 2003. She showed her inclination towards coaching as she would help out in the drills during the practice sessions.
Mlotshwa got noticed by the Botswana Netball Association when they realised most of the players making it into national teams, right from the juniors, came from Notwane.
She was first roped into the Botswana senior team for a year in 2013 during a period which she led the team to fifth position Africa Netball Championships but she left that post before being recalled last year and guided the team to third position at the Six Nations Cup in Singapore.
Botswana again achieved fifth position at the African Championships under her charge.
Mlotshwa was the captain of the Zimbabwe national team that grabbed a silver medal at the sixth All Africa Games that were held in the country in 1995.
She has acquired several badges in the sport, ranging from coaching, as she holds a Level Two International Netball Federation certificate the second highest qualification, technical official certificate from Africa Netball and a C+ umpiring certificate from National Umpires Association in South Africa.
Notwane will compete against local clubs in the sports extravaganza scheduled for Highlanders Sports Club.
This will be the second year Bosso would be hosting the event and sports teams will take part in seven disciplines which include football, netball, rugby, darts, volleyball and basketball.
The festival is part of the club’s annual countdown towards centenary celebrations set to mark Highlanders’ 100 years of existence in 2026.
The clubhouse is set to be a hive of activity this year with sports lovers expected to attend in their numbers and over 30 teams taking part in the six disciplines.
