Nomfundo shoots, scores with PPI-SA
Although we can't speak each other's language, we can speak the language of basketball.
BASKETBALL has opened many doors for Mowat Park matriculant, Nomfundo Ngcobo (18) who will travel to Norway this year, after she was selected to represent PeacePlayers International South Africa (PPI-SA) at the Erasmus+Lead4Peace (youth leadership development programme) camp.
The point guard is no stranger to travel since she already visited the Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus where she represented PPI-SA last year. “Being part of PeacePlayers has changed my life and it allows me the opportunity to not only play my favourite sport but to also meet other basketball enthusiasts from around the world,” said Ngcobo.
The teen has always had a love for basketball and watched her older sister play, which fuelled her passion for the sport. Following in the footsteps of her older sister, she joined the PeacePlayers in 2010, even when critics told her she was too short to play. “Hearing people tell me what’s wrong with me made me want to join PeacePlayers. Its not about height, gender or anything else, it’s how you play the game and how committed you are to the sport,” she said.
It was a good choice – since joining PPI-SA, her life has taken a glorious turn and she has grown in more respects then only in the sports field. “This experience taught me so much about life – I have learned about patience, trust and support. It is important to have those life skills especially since PPI-SA sends us to different places. Although we can’t speak each other’s language, we can speak the language of basketball. I have made great friends through this programme and I’ve learnt about other cultures and they learnt from me,” she added.
Excited about the trip, the shock of her selection is still fresh. “I didn’t expect to be chosen again to travel with PPI-SA because I feel there are better players than me,” she chuckled.
Thanks to her experience and her notable growth as an athlete and person, Ngcobo would one day like to start her own organisation like PPI-SA and expose more children to basketball. “It’s a great sport, every day is a new learning experience and it will change your life.”
The event will be held from February 10 to February 16 with a total of 60 participants attending from Cyprus, Northern Ireland, the Middle East, Norway and South Africa.
