Coming from the humble beginnings of KaNyamazane in Mpumalanga, Dr Thulani Ngwenya knew that hard work was the only thing to separate him from poverty and push him closer to success.
The South African Football Association [SAFA] Chief Medical Officer, who built his career from the ground up, having joined the national football governing body in 2012 on a part-time basis.
At the time, he was working under Coach Sheryl Botes before getting promoted to Under 20 women’s national team and eventually being appointed full-time as SAFA Chief Medical Officer in August 2015.
Dr Ngwenya has undoubtedly grown in leaps and bounds, currently monitoring the senior national team and travelling with Bafana Bafana in various parts of the world. With all the rich experience in Sports Science, Dr Ngwenya has finally seen it fit to tell his life story in a book called ‘SPORTS MEDICINE, MY LOVE AND PASSION’.
This book is an autobiography that reveals Dr Ngwenya as a professional, leader, and family man.
“This book will act as a life coach to many – to Physicians and everyone seeking inspiration in their lives,” he told FARPost.
The book will be released in September 2022; he hopes it becomes a symbol of hope for people from disadvantaged backgrounds, aiming to impact society positively.
FIFA recently approached Dr Ngwenya as they were recruiting for Doping Control Officers. He was selected to join Qatar’s 2022 FIFA World Medical team as a doping officer.
“It is unbelievable to be recognised by FIFA because I’ve never wanted to be confined to a medical room or a hospital; all I wanted was to be outdoor and see myself contribute to sports,” he added.
Heading to the 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup, Dr Ngwenya looks forward to learning from other international Medical Practitioners, so he can return and plough back into Africa to elevate sports development programs in the continent.
By Mpumi Manyisi
