Zola Ndlovu was born into a segregated South Africa. As a young black girl growing up under the apartheid, life was not easy. Poverty and lack of opportunities were just a few of the challenges. “Fortunately for me, I was able to attend a better school – a white school – where I was given the encouragement and opportunities to play sports,”’ she says. “Sports became a part of me, more than just a routine. They are my passion.”

Currently the Sports Officer at the Thekwini Municipality Department of Sport and Recreation Development, Zola works with disadvantaged children from post-apartheid communities to create sport and life skills programs. She was selected to serve on the Women and Sport Commission and has an even greater platform now to implement change. Zola’s love for sport taught her many life lessons, including discipline, leadership, and assertiveness. “In life, you have to learn how to have social relationships with people,” she states. “Sport taught me how to do this. It helped me be more confident, more outspoken, and less shy. I am so thankful I had sports as a girl. And it is my duty to provide this outlet for others.”