Siyabonga, Bongiwe!
UMBUZO owawujwayele ukubhekiswa kuBongiwe Msomi ezithangamini nabezindaba ngesikhathi seNdebe yoMhlaba eyayiseKapa kusukela ngoJulayi kuya ku-Agasti ngothi “usunqumile yini ukuthi uzoyeka nini ukudlala inetball?”
Lo mbuzo waphinde waqhamuka ngemuva kokuthi iqembu lakuleli lidlale umdlalo wokugcina ne-Uganda, lapho lashaywa khona ngo 49-47, laqeda umqhudelwano endaweni yesithupha.
Yize indumalo yayibhalwe ebusweni kuMsomi ngenxa yalo mphumela kodwa wawuphendula ngendlela sonke esasiyijwayele.
Waqala ngokumamatheka, waqhuma insini, wabe esethi: “Bengingakasithathi isinqumo kodwa uma ngisenomuzwa wokuthi kukhona engisengakwenzela iqembu enkundleni, ngizoqhubeka nokudlala.”
Ngesikhathi uMsomi edlalela amaProteas okokugcina ebhekene ne-England ochungechungeni olusanda kuphothulwa phesheya, bekungeke kube lula ukuthi ukhethe yena uma kuthiwa khomba umdlali osezomemezela ukuthi usethi khumu kulo mdlalo kodwa yena ubesesithathile isinqumo.
Kuthe uma ngibona isimemezelo asifake emakhasini akhe ezinkundleni zokuxhumana eseqinisekisa ukuthi usewabeka ethala, ngaqala ngajula ngohambo lwakhe kulo mdlalo. Kulesi simemezelo ubonge inqwaba yabantu nezinhlangano ngokufaka isandla ukuze afinyelele lapho agcine khona ku-netball.
Abantu abaningi abagcina sebedlala ezingeni eliphezulu emidlalweni ehlukene bajwayele ukuthi baqala ukudlala beneminyaka engaphansi kwengu-10, baqhubeka bathuthuka kancane kancane.
Akwenzekanga kanjalo kuMsomi, owaqala ukudlala i-netball ngo-2004 eneminyaka engu-16 efunda eChief Luthayi High School, eHammarsdale, lapho akhulela khona.
Wayezibukela iqembu lesikole le-netball liziqeqesha ngesikhathi omunye wothisha, obephinde apheke leli qembu, uMnuz Sithembiso Mncwabe, emcela ukuba angene enkundleni ngenxa yokuthi bekushoda umdlali oyedwa.
Wanikwa amateku nezimpahla zokudlala. Nakuba wayengenalwazi olutheni ngalo mdlalo, wazinikela enkundleni. Umfutho wakhe waholela ekutheni uMncwabe amcele ukuthi angabe esayeka ukuziqeqesha neqembu, waphinde wamsiza ukuthi asheshe awufunde lo mdlalo. Okwalandela ngemuva kwalokho sekuwumlando.
Nokho wumlando okumele ukhunjulwe ngoba ukuzimisela kukaMsomi akushintshanga impilo yakhe kuphela kodwa kushintshe neyomndeni wakhe, umphakathi waseHammarsdale kanye nenqwaba yabantu abebebukela kuyena.
Waqala ngokuqokelwa emaqenjini esifunda nawesifundazwe, wafakwa eqenjini lesizwe elincane waze wagcina engenile kwelesizwe elikhulu ngo-2011. Ngo-2016 wanikezwa isikhundla sokuba ngukaputeni, okube wumsebenzi awenze ngokuthembeka kwaze kwabe sekugcineni.
Le ntokazi eyathi yayinovalo, ingazithembi, ngesikhathi ihola iqembu lesizwe elincane kuWorld Youth Netball Championships eCook Islands ngo-2009, ngenxa yokuthi yayingakwazi ukukhuluma isiNgisi kahle, iqede ukudlala isinqobe izindebe namaqembu amabili aphezulu ase-England, iSurrey neWasps, ngo-2015 nango-2017.
Ikhono lakhe laphinde lamyisa e-Australia lapho adlalela khona i-Adelaide Thunderbirds ngo-2018. Yilapho athi khona wake wazama ukufundisa ozakwabo ukuthwala ibhakede elinamanzi, okuyinto ayeyenza njalo esahlala eHammarsdale. Ngaphandle kokukha amanzi, uMsomi wayetheza izinkuni kwaze kwafika isikhathi lapho umphakathi wangakubo wafakelwa khona ugesi namanzi ezindlini.
Njengenye yezingane eziyisishagalombili ezakhuliswa ngumama, engasekho ubaba, elokishini elibhekene nezingqinamba eziningi njengokuntuleka kwemisebenzi, impilo kaMsomi kwakungenzeka ibheke kwenye indawo kodwa ukuba sendaweni efanele ngesikhathi esifanele kwashintsha konke.
Kangikholwa wukuthi kwaba yinhlanhla. Akekho umuntu odlala imidlalo engu-171 eqenjini lesizwe ngenxa yenhlanhla. UMsomi uhlezi ekhuluma ngokuthi i-netball imenzeleni futhi akakhohlwa ukubonga bonke abamsiza. Akavamisile ukukhuluma ngalokho akwenzele i-netball nezimpilo asezishintshile.
Ukhiphe wonke amandla akhe egijima ku-centre noma ku-wing attack, ekhuthaza ozakwabo. Umoya wakhe ubufana, akukhathali ukuthi iqembu linqobile noma aliphumelelanga. Ube yinxusa elihle le-netball yakuleli waphinde wayisibonelo esihle kubo bonke abantu besifazane, hhayi laba abadlala lo mdlalo kuphela.
Ngohlelo lweBongi Msomi Legacy Project, uhlinzeka abadlali abasebancane be-netball bangakubo ngezinto zokudlala, imali yokugibela, ukudla nezinye izindleko. Ngeqembu alisungula, iHammarsdale Sunbeams, inqwaba yamantombazane nabafana abazifelayo nge-netball sebeyakwazi ukuphupha ngokuthi bangagcina beziphilisa ngalo mdlalo.
Useqalile ukupheka izihlabani zakusasa njengoba eyinhloko aphinde abe ngumqeqeshi ophikweni lwe-netball e-University of Johannesburg, nokuyilapho eselikhombisile khona ikhono lakhe ngokufaka leli qembu kowamanqamu eVarsity Cup nonyaka. Kulula ukucabanga ukuthi lokho akwenzile esengumdlali usethubeni lokukuphinda esengumqeqeshi.
Le ntokazi, eyaqala ukudlala i-netball igqoke amateku ayixegayo, iqede ukudlala isigqoke amateku anegama layo, eyawenzelwa ngokukhethekile ngabaxhasi bayo, iPuma. Leyo yindaba emangalisayo okufanele ixoxelwe izizukulwane ezizayo.
Ngaba nenhlanhla yokuba sebhanoyini elaligitshelwe wumndeni kaMsomi ngesikhathi ngilibangise eKapa, ngaphambi kweNdebe yoMhlaba. Unina wafikelwa wumunyu esazama ukuchaza ukuthi kusho ukuthini ukuyobukela indodakazi yakhe ihola iqembu lesizwe kulo mqhudelwano.
Kwaze kwangenelela abafowabo ababili, okwashoda ukuthi bagiye beqephuza ngokuthi baziqhenya kangakanani ngodadewabo nakho konke akwenzile. Siyabonga Bongiwe ngokuba yisibani esihle.