Lungstar – From Mamelodi to the world, the Lungile Mtsweni story
- Nandi Buthelezi
Born and bred in Mamelodi, Pretoria – Lungile Mtsweni’s passion for basketball started from the age of 14 at Clapham High School. Her journey has since then been remarkable. She is currently a PhD candidate for Exercise Science and Sport at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) and is also part of the Wits Basketball team. “Basketball is not a just a sport for me, it is my life. “
She is a true legend of her time having had the opportunity to sign a professional contract with professional basketball team BC Villamuriel where she played in the third division. Mtsweni went on to make a name for herself in the Women’s Adriatic Basketball Association (WABA) League with ZKK Trensjevka, a Croatian based women’s basketball team. She admits that even though her career looked glamourous on the outside, there were some distasteful times in her journey. Born from a deeply rooted Christian home and her father a Pastor – her faith continues to play a pivotal role in the strong and courageous women she is today.
Feeling very optimistic to jet off to Spain and build her career, Mtsweni was not aware of what was on the other side – She reflects on some of these events:
“I had my most testing times in Spain, living in another country where Spanish is the language of communication – a language that was foreign to me. I found it difficult to communicate and adapt to this new environment but what made it even harder was my teammates who spoke in Spanish most of the time when I was around. There were days when I would go to training only to find that I was the only one there.
When she made her move to Croatia, she played in the first division. The first month and the weeks that followed were grueling for Mtsweni; she was not used to the high intensity of the training programme and she injured her knee within the second month of playing for the team. – It took four weeks to recover before she could to get back on court.
People would say she was weak; she was a typical girl from Africa with a big dream, they said she had no talent or skill. She would constantly remind herself why she wanted to play in Europe: the journey was never about her; it was always about inspiring and empowering every African that has ever dreamt of making it big one day.
“Sometimes we would not get paid and I would run out of money to buy food - I would even eat expired food. Even though this was not the ideal meal at least I had something in my stomach.”
Her perseverance and resilience has proven to be rewarding in her quest to not only live her dream but to pave the way for many athletes who aspire to play abroad. Mtsweni speaks on a starting point to revive basketball in South Africa and to ensure that more people play the sport
“We have to establish a good foundation in the grassroots level and ensure inclusivity at all levels, there is a lot of talent in our communities and in our schools. We need to work with talented university athletes that know the game – empower them to ensure that they know how to deliver and impart knowledge on the fundamental skills of basketball. We need to open up opportunities for playing abroad so that South African players are exposed to the intensity and level of play internationally – these individuals can then come back and share their skills with more players in SA.”
Mtsweni’s vision is to see the growth of Basketball in South Africa and for it to reach a point where athletes do not have to leave the country to seek better playing opportunities. “I would like for us to have a sustainable career in sport, play professionally at the highest level, and make a living out of playing sport in our country. “
“I would like to thank God almighty for making all things possible for me. My parents for their unfailing love and trust in my abilities. My sisters Tumisang who is my role mode, Noki and Itumeleng who are always supportive. My brothers who laugh at me sometimes, even when things are serious. I want to thank them for teaching me to be strong. I also want to thank my friends, teammates; coaches especially coach Mandla Ngema from the University of Johannesburg (UJ). I want to thank the Wits Sport staff: Willie Matlakala, Manyani Maseko and Thato Meka. Wits administration, Ntshembo Vukeya, Kerry Yates and Michael Dick. I would also like to thank Anna Murunga from the Wits Faculty of Health Sciences and Dr Rodney Genga from the Wits Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment.
Photo credit: ZKK Trešnjevka 2009 2017/2018 team (Lungile Mtsweni #12 second row)