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Shingai Dhlamini 

FORMER netballer Isabell Chaparira Ngwenya has ventured into the male-dominated career of bus driving.

Ngwenya was a successful goalkeeper for the Zimbabwe Republic Police netball team and also represented the country in netball competitions in DR Congo, South Africa and Namibia. 

She also excelled in swimming in the backstroke. Ngwenya said Zimbabwe had plenty of netball talent, but lacked sponsorship, which prevented players from fully developing. 

She urged women to take every opportunity to learn and develop their talents.

Ngwenya’s netball career started when she was at Mhangura Secondary  School in Mashonaland West. 

Her  height advantage made it easy to slot in as a goalkeeper.

When she joined the police, she was voted the best goalkeeper in most competitions for her team. 

She has retired from the police and is now a Class 1 driver at Mimosa Mine in Zvishavane. 

“I played for the PG SQ Police General Headquarters Depot and represented the ZRP team in the SARPCCO Games,” said Ngwenya.

SARPCCO are regional police games held annually.

Ngwenya was also a good swimmer and was a backstroke gold medallist in the 2015 police games.

“Although I was good at swimming, I had a passion for netball and enjoyed playing it.”

She also spoke about the national team’s qualification for the 2019 Netball World Cup.

“I was heartbroken when the girls were preparing for the Netball World Cup. There was no support, they had to camp at St Peter’s, a school in Mbare where Leticia Chipandu the Zimbabwe Netball  Association president was a teacher at the time,” said Ngwenya. 

At the peak of her career, Ngwenya was passionately known as “Madam Isa” on the pitch as the girls knew that with her around, they had the best goalkeeper.

“We have a lot of talent in Zimbabwe, but we lack sponsorship. For someone to fully develop, they should be having enough support from the sports gear to top notch coaches.”

“Ladies, if you get an opportunity to go to school, take it because knowledge will be handy in your future life and you will be able to showcase your talent and let no circumstance stop you from realising your worth,” said Ngwenya.