Young refree the darling of soccer lovers

The star of a 17-year-old soccer referee and pupil at Mmilige Secondary School, Ndifelani Manenzhe, is rising quickly as he continues to endear himself to local soccer lovers.

“I developed my love for sports when I was still a learner at Muengedzi Primary School,” said this resident of Sikhodobo village outside Tshikwarani. “I had an aptitude for athletics and excelled in races. However, I also developed a strong love for refereeing, so I had to watch a lot of matches both on TV and at local soccer grounds. I made sure that I also kept my eye on the referee and his assistant and followed all match-related decisions they would make during the game.”

Ndifelani was then unearthed by an educator, Mr Harry Rabulanyana, who encouraged him to keep up the good work as a prospective referee. “He was like a father who understood what a son needed in life,” he said, “and he motivated me. At some stage, I went to Mr Philemon Matidza, who repeated what Mr Rabulanyana had told me, and his words provided me with more strength and courage.”

Matidza then bought Ndifelani a red card, a yellow card and a whistle, so that he could go and officiate at matches in SAFA Vhembe's Stream E. He introduced himself to the Makhado Local Football Association's Mr Mpfariseni Musekwa. “I explained to him that I was keen to have him notice my talent and he said that he had heard about me and was happy that I had approached him,” Ndifelani said.

Musekwa warmly welcomed Ndifelani and tried him in some local matches as an assistant referee, and soon he had endeared himself not only to Musekwa's heart, but to the hearts of local football lovers, who praised him for his match officiation skills. “I started by assigning him as an assistant referee in matches, but after some time I decided to allocate more game to him,” Musekwa said. “I got a lot of positive feedback and comments from many football teams who said that he was an astute referee with a keen eye for the ball.”

Ndifelani was the main referee in the final match between Maelula United and Zamenkomste Liverpool, played in Mamu Community Development's Hollywoodbets Pre-Season Cup 2018 late in September. Some spectators were heard speaking among themselves, saying that Ndifelani was quickly establishing himself as a referee. They said that he had better chances to referee in major games if he did not let grown-ups corrupt him with bribes.

Mamu Community Development's general secretary, Mr Jafter Mamugudubi, said that the organisation was satisfied with Ndifelani's approach to and skills in match officiation. “We sponsored him with a referee's full kit,” he said. “We wish him all the best.”

Date:14 October 2018

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

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