The Sunday Mail
Veronica Gwaze
NEWLY-elected Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) vice president Fredreck Ndlovu believes his post presents him with an opportunity to plough back into the local game.
Ndlovu — who is the chairperson of Econet Wireless Sports Club at the mobile network giant, where he has been employed as head of the civil engineering department for 17 years — garnered 77 percent votes during the virtual CAVB elections held recently.
The 50-year-old said he views his CAVB designation as a chance to both deal with key areas that need attention in local volleyball and promote the sport.
Ndlovu, who served on the CAVB Zone VI board, said his decision-making at the continental body would be deeply influenced by the state of volleyball in the country and Africa.
“I feel honoured by the appointment, which comes with a lot of responsibility, of course.
“I know it will not be easy, but I am ready for the challenge,” he said.
“As Zone VI, we have to continue raising the bar, and as Zimbabwe, we would like to lead from the front.
“It is coincidentally strategic that I’m now part of the decision-makers.
“It will enable us to promote the sport in Zimbabwe and Africa as a whole.
“Remember, we know our needs, so we will be making moves and decisions influenced by the situation on the ground.
“As it is, Africa needs a lot of upscaling; it has a lot of needs, which means that we are up to challenge.”
Ndlovu’s romance with volleyball started during his days at Marist Brothers in 1985 as a player, before proceeding to college, where he was ushered into management at a young age.
At 18, he led the Matabeleland Volleyball Association, which by then was composed of three provinces — Bulawayo, Matabeleland North, and Matabeleland South.
Despite a busy schedule, during which he had to balance studying for his civil engineering degree, he made a huge impact in the game and rose to become Zimbabwe Volleyball Association (ZVA) treasurer.
“Ironically, I was never into volleyball during my childhood days, but because at our school there was only volleyball and soccer and I had to choose between the two, I opted for the sport that had less running and sweating.
In 2007, Ndlovu became president of the ZVA, a position he held for nine years before going a step further to become secretary-general of Zone VI.
With more than nine sporting qualifications to his name, in 2016 Ndlovu was part of the team that brought home the best AUSC Region V Under-20 Youth Games results.
He was deputy chef de mission of Team Zimbabwe at the Games in Luanda, Angola, where they brought home 96 medals.
Having been in the game for years, Ndlovu said part of his task will be upgrading local volleyball personnel for Zimbabwe to become one of the major powerhouses of the sport.
Zone VI has six members on the CAVB board and Ndlovu feels this is their chance to promote zonal volleyball.
He said there is a need for the Southern African zone to build a strong volleyball foundation and inculcate robust structural philosophies that will create a conduit for the next generation of stars.
