By: Khwaza Sasa Mbasa

“Women should be women even if they are in sports, they shouldn’t lose their feminity to fit in,” Durban University of Technology netball captain Ndalamo Kutama said.

The 25-year-old is a third year Quantity Survey student at the DUT. She was born in Limpopo Province in Venda but grew up in Polokwane before moving to Johannesburg. She believes that a good leader is someone who gives direction, sets standards, leads by example, someone who is strong and is not easily shaken.

She reckons that she was chosen to be the team captain because of her leadership skills and because of what she can do. She respects other people’s opinions. “I do not impose my opinions to anyone,” she said.

Being a leader does not mean a person has to be aggressive or be less tolerant when one loses her way. “You do not have to make noise to be heard,” Ndalamo said. Her teammate, Nomfundo Khumalo, agreed with her captain and said that she does have leadership skills, she does what needs to be done, she is down to earth and she listens when other people are talking.

Ndalamo started playing netball in primary school. She plays two positions one as a wing attacker (WA) if she is not there attacking, you will find her on the pole scoring goals as a goal attacker (GA). Netball has been her hobby her whole life. She enjoys it and she uses it to distress. She is playing it for the fun and the love of it; however, she does not have dreams to play for the national team. Her career as a quantity surveyor is her first priority.

She does not want to take it professional or make it a full time profession. Ndalamo has really been active in sports, not only netball but in hockey and tennis as well. It’s when she was in high school that she was forced to choose between the three sports and she chose netball because netball always stood out for her. When you love something and you have fun doing it, it’s always easy choosing it.

Ndalamo was raised by both parents and she is the last born in the family. She has two brothers and two sisters. They all still treat her like a baby even though she thinks she is grown up. She studied in Tshikevha Christian School in Venda from grade one to grade three before moving to Polokwane. She studied grade three to seven in Pietersburg Comprehensive School. She then finished her matric at Capricon High School. Upon completion of her matric, she went to Atlanta in the United States of America for two years to distress and decide on what she wants.

Ndalamo Kutama.Picture by Sasa Mbasa

“You cannot walk over people’s head, they are the ones who put you in a position of power and at the end you need them more than they need you,” she said speaking like a true leader.

The DUT netball team is going to Pretoria on the 31^st of June to play in a tournament and the captain said that she has no doubt that they will come back with a win.