In 2022 we lost in the finals. This year we want to go as far as bringing the trophy home. This is a bold statement from the MUT soccer team Captain, Bonga Mbatha as he leads his team to the annual USSA Games, played in the western Cape soon. Bonga said that given that they have more than six players who play at higher levels, and it is not their first time playing in Section A, they were ready for the go one step further, and lift the cup this year. “I believe we have a strong squad to compete and reach knockout stages. We are up against Unizulu, CUT, VUT and NWU, in our pool,” said Bonga.
Bonga, a final year Accounting student, first played in the USSA tournament in 2019. He plays central middle, for MUT and Ethekwini Coastal FC in the Motsepe League. He will be captaining the team for the third time. Bonga says they are 80% both mentally and physically ready for the gruelling tournament that will be played in University of the Western Cape, from 4-8 December 2023.
Bonga has a professional approach to his game. He said they would be guided by the objectives of the technical team which he said were “very clear. We must qualify for Varsity Cup next year. Our coaches are working hard on finding the right combinations that will work for us; and they are making sure that we are united in everything that we going to face,” said Bonga, a 23-year-old from Ulundi, in northern KwaZulu-Natal.