By Chris Totobela
When they say dynamites come in small packages, they don’t lie. Makhanda’s Nomphelo Stuurman is living proof of this.
Like many local sport icons, Stuurman started playing sport in the dusty streets of Makhanda with her peers at a very young age. She participated in the Come-and Play programme that took place at the old Indoor Sports Centre (Fire Station) which was led by Lulamile Bikitsha.
Stuurman also played netball for NV Cewu Primary School before moving on to Nombulelo Secondary. She continued with the Come-and-Play programme after school. “We could not wait for school to finish so wew could go to the Fire Station where we were assisted by the likes of the late Ntombozuko Krani and Jeff Budaza, may their souls rest in peace. They played a vital role in our development in sport,” she said.
Stuurman was introduced to handball and immediately made the Eastern Cape U14 side in her first attempt at trials and the team became national champions. She later got involved in basketball.
She recalled how her basketball career started. “I started basketball by accident as former national team player Alutha Ngqoyiya’s team was short of one player and invited me to add to the numbers. She quickly taught me the basics and I think I did well and instantly fell in love with it.”
Shortly after that, Stuurman made the Eastern Cape U18 team and was the youngest at age 15. She travelled with team to Pietermaritzburg where she made a name for herself. She was very fortunate to meet the visiting group of coaches who were there to introduce Korfball, a ball sport similar to netball and basketball. She impressed them and was invited to to take part in the trials in Gauteng where she did well and was included in the national team that went to play in the World cup in China.
Stuurman continued with basketball on her return and travelled to Lesotho with the national U20 side where they returned as champions. She was later included in the national U23 side that went to Spain in 2012.
In 2013 she was part of the Sports Exchange Programme and went to Germany to stay and play there for a while. Unfortunately, she was dealt a huge blow when she suffered a serious knee injury that halted her blossoming career. “My heart was in pieces to see my promising career crumbling down just like that. I think it was a blessing to get injured in Germany as I received the best medical care and I had three successful knee surgeries. Every sportsman would know how painful it is like to get injured and be unable to continue with what you love. Sport is the only thing I knew and had nothing to fall back on at the time.”
Stuurman had no choice but to hang up her boots. She had a short coaching stint in Germany before coming back home. On her return, she coached Kingswood College, Rhodes University, Ntaba Maria and Nombulelo Secondary School.
She admits that she prefers playing more than coaching. “To be honest with you, I enjoyed being on the court more than coaching. I got into coaching just to stay connected to the game as I struggled to come to terms with my sudden exit from the game.”
As difficult as it was, she decided to walk away from the game. “Reality hit home and I decided to go back to school as I was also the sole bread winner in my family. I stopped my involvement in all sports to try and equip myself with something that will help me put food on the table for my family.”
She is now a qualified chef with a good job and shared a message with Makhanda’s youth. “Makhanda is blessed with great talent and there are so many stars here. Do not let anyone tell you that you are not good enough to make it. If I can make it from a very humble background, what can stop you? Just believe in yourself and your abilities and keep focused. Equip yourself with education so that you can have something to fall back on just in case something happens.”
