Musa Ntonga
| Musa Ntonga | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Musa Ntonga Bulawayo |
| Died | May 28, 2020 (aged 44) Gweru |
| Nationality | Zimbabwean |
| Education | Nhlambabaloyi Primary School and David Livingstone Memorial Secondary School |
| Occupation | Chief Prison Officer |
| Employer | Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services |
| Organization | Government of Zimbabwe |
| Known for | Being the first woman in Zimbabwe to be a football club chairperson |
| Home town | Bulawayo |
| Children | Thamsanqa and Rudo |
Musa Ntonga, was the first Zimbabwean woman to hold a high post in the administration of football clubs in the country. She was the chairperson of Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) 2014 league debutants Whawha Football Club. Ntonga rubbed shoulders with other 15 male chairpersons in the 16-team league where the perception that football is only a men’s sport seems to be changing as women are now venturing into administering clubs. The highest club position held by women is that of spokesperson. FC Platinum have Chido Chizondo as media and liaison officer while CAPS United Football Club had Joyce Kapota as spokesperson and community relations manager. These are women who have defied odds by assuming posts in football clubs.
Background
Ntonga was born on January 25, 1976 in Bulawayo and she was fourth in family of two girls and three boys. She did primary education at Nhlambabaloyi from 1982 to 1988 before she proceeded to David Livingstone Memorial Secondary School from 1989 to 1992. Ntonga has always been a sports–person as she played netball at school and after. Apart from her work and sports, she had two children a boy Thamsanqa and a girl Rudo.
Career
She held a Level Two coaching Course Certificate which she got under the tutorship of Gibson Homela in 2005. She fell in love with football when she was sports officer for Matabeleland regional headquarters. She was involved with Ntabazinduna Prison Training School team in the Zifa Southern Region Division One League. “It was exciting to travel with the team for away matches to as far as Hwange, Victoria Falls and Beitbridge to team Border Strikers. I got emotionally attached to the game such that I would loudly celebrate when we won and weep when we lost,” she said. Her love for football continued when she was transferred to Gweru. "As a marketing person I noted the shortcomings that had made Whawha fail to excel beyond Division One and decided to work on them and have a go on the top post to run the club," she said. She held a Diploma in Business Administration having specialised in marketing and a Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Marketing from the Midlands State University which she completed in 2011.
She played netball in the school team during her school days and joined ZPCS in October 1995 as a recruit prison officer at Chikurubi Training Depot and rose through the ranks to her current post of chief prison officer. She played netball in the ZPCS national squad as a goal defender, and in 2002 she started playing darts which she still currently play in the social league. She was the regional sports officer for Matabeleland regional headquarters from 2004 to 2006,” she said.
Administration
But as a woman what was the reception like when she announced that she would have a go at the top post at Whawha FC? Her candidature was met with mixed feelings especially from the then sitting chairperson who felt he couldn’t be challenged by a junior. This then gave her the strength to stand her ground and prove to the world that she was as good if not better than some men. “I was voted in as chairperson on February 28 2014 just before the ZIFA Central Region Division One League kicked off. I have never looked back since then as proved by clinching the league championship and subsequent promotion into the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League,” she said. She faced challenges along the way when she assumed the post, but that encouraged her to work even harder. It was a rocky journey with inadequate funding as a major factor, but they managed to pull through and she was a proud chairperson of a PSL club.[1]
Achievements
Led Whawha to win the 2014 ZIFA Central Region Division One Championship which earned them a ticket into the country's top flight league the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League
Death
She died on 28 May 2020 at her home in Gweru.
