Ngonda taking her football to greater heights

By Michael Uugwanga

FEMALE football in Namibia cannot be counted amongst the heavyweights of African football however the passion that exists for the women’s game in the country cannot be ignored thanks to some players that are changing the narrative.

Zenatha Coleman who currently plays professional football in Spain for Sevilla is still the most celebrated female footballer to come out of Namibia, however, a new name in Memory Ngonda is starting to be on every Namibian’s lips, thanks to her superb display for her club Tura Magic Ladies in the just ended Namibia Football Association (NFA) Women ‘Bounce back’ Super Cup.

Ngonda was pivotal in helping her team win the Super Cup on February 27 beating Galz & Goals Ladies 1-0. She scored a thundering strike that was enough to hand her team the trophy.

Despite playing in the central position for her side, Ngonda managed to score six cup goals including the past weekend’s winner.

Ngonda was also instrumental in her team’s success in the 2018/2019 Skorpion Zinc/NFA Women Super League crown.

Born 23 years ago in Choto location in Katima Mulilo, Ngonda started playing football at the tender age of six before she made her breakthrough at Tsumeb United.

Ironically, Ngonda started playing for Tsumeb United’s Under-7 boys’ team after her brother noticed the potential in her.

After Tsumeb United, she then joined the Jacky Shipanga Academy before it was renamed to Tura Magic Ladies in 2013, from there the rest is history.

The sad part of her life is that she lost her mother at an early age, but says  football has made her stronger.

“I was six years old when I started playing football. I first started serious football for Tsumeb United. It is my brother (Tuhafeni) that taught me how to play football as  he used  to take me along to watch him play for Tsumeb United and I remember  when he asked me to join them (Tsumeb United under-7 boys team) saying if I did not join them he was going to beat me.

“I opted not to play netball or volleyball because they are not the type of games I wanted to play.  Football changed me in many ways ever since I lost my mother and today I am a proud footballer,” said Ngonda.

Ngonda is also an international player for the Brave Gladiators and is a big admirer of South African football legend, Benedict ‘Benni’ McCarthy.

McCarthy will be well remembered by Namibians for scoring four goals in a 4-1 win for South Africa against Namibia’s Brave Warriors at the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Burkina Faso.