The answer to what it takes to make Jonas Ndlovu happy is simple – give him a ball.
It could be a cricket or a soccer ball, or let him play goalball. Nothing gets the Tuks Political Science student’s adrenaline pumping like the challenge of outsmarting opponents on the field. What is incredible about his on-field heroics is that Ndlovu has been completely blind since birth.
But that has never held him back. He firmly believes in making the most of life’s cards. He was still a little kid when he and some friends started to play ball.
These days, he plays cricket about every other weekend. Ndlovu is an all-rounder. In 2022, he almost played for the South African blind cricket team. He has not given up on the dream of playing international cricket.
He recently got a taste of how exciting it can be to represent your country. Ndlovu was a member of the South African Blind Football Team (Amagombinyoni), which competed in the BRICS+ International Blind Football Friendly Tournament in Russia. He and his teammates made history. It was the first time a national team had competed in an international tournament.
Amagombinyoni returned with top honours, finishing the tournament with three goals in four games, a hard-fought win against seasoned campaigners Belarus, and the highly coveted accolades for Team of The Tournament.
As a defensive midfielder, Ndlovu believes the best thing he can bring to any team is a decisive presence.
Photo: Reg Caldecott
“You don’t want the other team’s attackers to do and do whatever they want. I’m all about making it as easy as possible for them to score goals. The better I play, the more I take the pressure off the defenders,” he said during a recent interview.
A question that comes to mind when Ndlovu talks about soccer is how the players know where the ball is if you can’t see it. According to Ndlovu, it often happens during a match that it’s just a case of kick and miss.
“As long as the ball rolls, it’s easy to kick it. The ball we play with is slightly heavier and designed to keep rolling. Things get complicated when the ball is not moving,” he remarked.
How does a blind player know where the goalposts are?
“Remember, our goalkeeper is not blind. So, his role is to indicate what is happening on the field. Our coach is next to the field and tells us what to do and when. There is also a sighted person (guide) behind the goalposts who lets you know when there is a goal-scoring opportunity. That is why spectators must try to be as quiet as possible during a match,” Ndlovu explained.
In Russia the South African team were newcomers who trained for three days before jetting off, going toe-to-toe with seasoned professionals with established leagues in their home countries, who had been preparing for this competition for months.
“Even though we did not win, we walked away as the most memorable group to play International Blind Football in Russia. Now imagine what we could achieve without limitations,” a proud Ndlovu concluded.
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