Khayelitsha teen Magoloza chasing pro cricket dream

Unathi Magoloza, 17, like many young cricketers, dreams of playing for a professional team and making his cricket aspirations a reality.

The Khayelitsha cricketer not only dreams of that but seems to have figured out what it will take to make that dream a reality, and most of it centres on discipline and hard work.

After all, the person who dragged him to a cricket pitch for the first time has recently turned pro and is now a member of Western Province.

Bongile Mfunelwa introduced Magoloza to the game, and seeing him turn out for Western Province strengthens the belief that it is definitely possible.

Magoloza even says one of his wishes is to one day share a pitch with the Western Province man. The young baller is well on his way, should everything go according to plan.

For the past four years, the work he has been able to produce with Khayelitsha Cricket has not gone unnoticed.

He’s been a member of the Western Province side in that time span and in just a couple of days, will make his way to the Khaya Majola week with his Western Province teammates. “Representing my province has been my highlight so far,” he said.

Speaking to this paper at the weekend, he shared that playing for a team like Khayelitsha, a side lacking in resources, plays a huge role in motivating him to succeed. Because if he can make it with the little they have, there’s very little that can stop him from reaching the top. 

"I know there’s lots of work that needs to happen to reach the top level, but I’m continuing to put in the hard work to make sure I can reach the top level,” he said.

His coach, Wonga Matshobane, says Magoloza is the product of a hardworking coaching staff. He says they can complain about resources, which he’s not downplaying the importance of, but dedicated coaches working with young kids is what they focus on most.

“We have 11 players across all ages, both boys and girls, who are going to represent the province. This is through hard work across the board. We are able to produce these talented kids because of the dedication of our coaches,” he said.

At the weekend, Magoloza opened the batting for Khayelitsha as they played their fifth game of the season in the Western Province Cricket Association First Division D against Macassar.

Khayelitsha won their third game in five outings this season, beating Macassar by 30 runs.

The game had to be played on Sunday as Khayelitsha was burying one of their long-serving members and the captain of the second team, Sive Vuso, a day before.