The Sunday Mail
Veronica Gwaze
THERE was something striking, almost familiar, about this bare-footed lady, whose netball skills made her stand out almost as much as her ordinary attire.
Janet Mukombe – a sister in law to musician Mukudzei Mukombe, popularly known as Jah Prayzah – won a lot of admirers including the sponsors of an inter-ward netball competition held at Nyamhara, Uzumba on Independence Day.
Playing for a local team called Mugabe, the 22-year-old Mukombe’s agility, ball control and precise shots captured the imaginations of many as she ended up being crowned the tournament’s best player.
And it is now that very praise and admiration that has led her into believing she can take her netball talent from the remote area of Uzumba to the national stage, but only “with proper career guidance.”
“I married into the Mukombe family when I was only 19 and now I am a mother of one but my love for this sport has remained undeterred.
“I feel my future revolves around netball,” Mukombe told The Sunday Mail after the tournament that was sponsored by Harare based businessman Wishman Mususa who was born and bred in Uzumba.
Mukombe, a promising attacker, started playing netball during her primary school days at Mugabe School in Uzumba but had to take a mini sabbatical after she got married to singer Jah Prayzah’s brother Cosmas.
Fortunately, the Player of the Tournament award seems to be the tonic that has reignited her love and now she believes she can soon turn professional.
“One big disadvantage that we have here in remote areas is that our talent goes unnoticed.
“We have a lot of netball players who, with the right career guidance, could end up playing for the national team,” remarked Mukombe.
“Last year the family decided that I should go back to school and I am sitting for my Ordinary level examinations,” she revealed.
“My husband and his family are supportive of me playing netball to any level. Netball has always been my dream and I wish to go the professional route.
“It’s just unfortunate that our constituency seems to have been forgotten,” she said.
The tournament which also featured boys’ football was attended by a number of football personalities including Dynamos legend Moses “Bambo” Chunga who also gave his own assessment of the talent on offer.
“There’s potential in these rural areas, I have travelled across the country in search of talent and I have always said that we have good players lying out there.
“The problem is the nurturing part, you will realise that there’s more energy and less technique amongst the players down here in the rural areas and vice versa when you go to the cities.
“However, credit goes to businessmen like Mususa for organising tournaments like these because they give these youngsters the platform to shine,” said Chunga.
