Remember the name: Zenande Ndamane. It is one that will be ringing around netballing circles for years to come.
At just 11 years old, Ndamane is already competing with adult professional players on the courts, demonstrating an abundance of potential.
She was named Young Player of the Tournament at the recent Moko Easter tournament in Ezihlahleni in Debe as she helped her side, Sunrise Cape Town, reach the semifinals.
Sunrise’s path to the semis included teams that had personnel from the Telkom Netball League, the professional domestic netball league in SA.
“She is a one-of-a-kind talent,” said team owner and coach Fannie Maruma. “Some of us were afraid that because of her physical appearance she would be bullied by the older players, but time and time again she proved everyone wrong.”
Ndamane’s roots trace back to the Eastern Cape, before her family relocated to the Western Cape for work purposes. She started playing netball at seven years old for Sunrise in the Delft Netball League. She was among more than 50 players in her group that tried out for the team, and she made the cut for the juniors.
We saw that when she was training against her age mates, she was head and shoulders above everyone, so we put her on the field against older players to test her. She fitted in like a glove
— Fannie Maruma, Sunrise Cape Town owner and coach
Maruma said they had to escalate her to a senior level of the team because of her potential. “She joined the senior team in the past months and has received individual awards in the tournaments we play in.
“We use very young players in our senior team because we want them to grow in the sport and understand the fundamentals before turning pro.
“We saw that when she was training against her age mates, she was head and shoulders above everyone, so we put her on the field against older players to test her. She fitted in like a glove,” he said.
Sunrise have already produced three players for the national U-15 netball team, and for the foundation run by former Spar Proteas player and Cala-born Pumza Maweni.
Maruma had no doubt that Ndamane was going to crack the nod for a place in the national ranks soon. “We always train at high intensity. Our players are exposed to high-level pressure, hence we are able to compete against professional players.
“Those training methods make our players to be able to adapt in any pressure situations and be able to get into SA teams.”
Daily Dispatch
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