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29 January 2020
The North West University (NWU) will contest the Nedbank Cup Last 32 this year, but a number of their former alumni have played a key role in the competition’s history. NWU will travel to the Thohoyandou Stadium to face Premier League outfit Black Leopards on February 9, seeking to showcase their talent and offer a glimpse of what could be a number of future South African stars. Past players include Orlando Pirates midfielder Xola Mlambo, and the SuperSport United duo of Thabo Mnyamane and Boalefa Pule. Goalkeeper Pule wrote his name in Nedbank Cup folklore when he came off the bench to make his professional debut in the 2016 Nedbank Cup final, replacing the injured Ronwen Williams for the final 13 minutes and making a number of key saves.
It was an amazing occasion to make a debut with SuperSport leading 3-2 and Pirates piling on the pressure. Mnyamane started the final the following year when SuperSport this time beat The Buccaneers 4-1. It is all proof that the soccer programme at the university is a success, and there is a hope that more players will emerge in the coming years. "Our soccer institute is a programme where we provide bursaries to players to help them study, but also play football at the same time," NWU soccer manager Vuyo Sambo says. “We started the programme in 2007 and we have had some good success down the years, but also some hard times. “We feel we are back on the way up though, and won the Varsity Football competition last year, so that tells you we have talent in our squad."
Sambo says it is not just the players that are produced by NWU, but coach Karabo Masehela, who is just 29, is also a product of the university having played professionally for the likes of SuperSport United and University of Pretoria.
"We are proud to say that we have also produced our own coach, the youngest coach in the [ABC Motsepe] league and also the Nedbank Cup this year. "He leads a very young group, as you can imagine being students. They range in age from 18 to around 24, though most of them are 20 or 21." Sambo says qualifying for the Nedbank Cup Last 32 is about much more than just what happens on the pitch. "Being at this stage of the competition provides great mileage for the university as a whole, showcasing what we can offer to students on and off the pitch. It has given us a great sense of pride and we know that we are representing not just the university, but the whole North West province as well."
He says the players are under no illusions as to the task at hand against Leopards, but says they will give it their all. "It is a great challenge, but the players are looking forward to it. We are determined to do well and I can tell you they are hyped up. We will give it our best shot."
*The views represented are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent those of Nedbank.