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Mzingaye Sibanda Sports Reporter
BEKEZELA Ndlovu, a teacher based in Bulawayo, has become the first Zimbabwean female volleyball international umpire.
She passed the International Refereeing Candidate Course in Kenya last week.
The history making Ndlovu arrived back home yesterday after attending the course. The seminar covered theory and practical aspects of the game.
Ndlovu also got the chance to officiate all matches at the Nairobi Open tournament for senior national men’s and women’s teams.

She joins other two Zimbabwean male international referees, Leonard Gayize and Sibangane Mashasha who is also the Zimbabwe Volleyball Association (ZVA) administrator.

Ndlovu was on cloud nine for setting the standard for the other women and she hopes they will follow suit.
“I always encouraged other women to take up sport. I hope that this will inspire them to follow suit after seeing what I have achieved. It is the greatest feeling to always be the first one to achieve something. It’s good for me, my country and my province in particular and this will also give me a chance to teach others what I have learnt,” she said.

Ndlovu described the experience in Kenya as not a walk in the park. “It was challenging, because you have to study hard and know all the rules, so it needed a lot of reading and commitment, I’m proud I made it,” she said.

ZVA administrator Mashasha commended Ndlovu.
“It’s a great achievement for us as an association that we finally have a female referee, because we are all going to benefit from her as she will be travelling around the world to officiate while bringing experience back home,” said Mashasha.

Ndlovu might officiate in the May Southern African schools championships in Botswana and the Region Five Games in her home town, Bulawayo in December.