Queen of Africa
KICK OFF: How did you get your break in terms of getting into the national structures?
Thembi Kgatlana: In 2011 they selected me to be a part of the girls that will be attending at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria, a base for junior players in South Africa. It was structured by SAFA. In 2012, I was 17, I made the leap. I joined the Under-20s. The coach selected me to go to my first tournament – the Zone 6 Games in Zambia. But I think my big break was when I joined Banyana in 2014. I was still doing Matric.
How did you get to Banyana?
Vera Pauw came in as coach, I think in April 2014. She stayed at the HPC. There, together with the boys, we used to play five-a-side using dustbins as the goals. One Sunday we were playing and Vera came to watch us. Afterwards she left and never said anything to me. A month later I got a call to say I have to join Banyana in camp. It was a really crazy experience. Vera didn’t even see me playing in a real match.
How was your experience?
When I got to Banyana I didn’t know anyone. I only knew Simphiwe Dludlu because she was the assistant coach at HPC. I saw
