The students are Mr Lubabalo Mnguni (volleyball), Mr Thubelihle Sithole (volleyball), Mr Mfanfikile Dlamini (soccer), Ms Carla Anne Parsons (volleyball), Ms Asanda Zulu (football), Mr Songezo Mnguni (volleyball), Mr Sibongile Novuka (rugby) and Ms Sasha-Lee Nordengen-Corris (swimming).
Education student and captain of the SA Lifesaving team, Nordengen-Corris, is grateful to the scholarship donors for relieving her father of the financial burden of paying her fees, saying she is now able to save money for international sports trips which further her sporting career.
Nordengen-Corris has an impressive swimming career being selected to represent South Africa 17 times. Her top positions internationally are 1st place in the surf swim at the Sanyo Cup 2019, 3rd in the Surf Swim in Taplin, and 2nd in the rescue tube and board rescue at Junior World Champs. She is also the 10km Open Water SA National Champ.
Her goal is to finish in the top 2 in the SA National 10km event and be selected to go to Portugal for the Olympic trials next year eventually competing in the 2024 Olympics.
Social Sciences student Parsons, who plays for the SA U20 Volleyball Team, considers herself blessed to be able to play the sport she loves and be funded academically. ‘The scholarship definitely gives my family and me financial sanity and relief – I am very grateful for being funded. The scholarship pushes me to continue making provincial and national teams and maintaining a good academic record at UKZN. Attendance at training is a requirement of the scholarship, which therefore produces committed and determined athletes.’
Her sports achievements include being selected for the U20 South African Women’s Team for the U20 Region 5 Youth Games in Botswana, being a member of the Kingdom Rhinos ( KZN ) Provincial team which participated in the National Volleyball League, and being chosen for the U25 National USSA Student Women’s’ Volleyball Team.
Honours in Education student Mnguni, who plays for the SA Students Volleyball Team, sees the scholarship as providing an opportunity for sportswomen and men to express their passion through sport. ‘The scholarship makes me feel like I’m a valued and integral part of the University and it gives me great pride and joy to be acknowledged in this way. This scholarship means that all the support and effort my family gave me year in and year out on the side of the volleyball court was not for nothing.’
Apart from excelling on the court, Mnguni plans to pursue his Masters in the future.