Interview Temba Bungane

Let's start at the beginning.

Selborne Primary, East London to be exact. This is where it all started for Temba Bungane, the now budding Waterpolo coach takes a sip of his water, shifting uncomfortably in his seat before revealing the earliest memories of him in the pool.

"Fortunately for me, my parents didn’t want to give me a stereotypical life, I always used to have swimming lessons from a young age with my brother and after one race I did in grade 5, the Waterpolo coach told me to join the training sessions the next day and I loved the sport."

"The transition to High School wasn't too bad, In a blanket statement, the competition within the school was higher, but if I look back, I feel we could’ve done a lot more to attract better players. At the age-group level, we were pretty decent, but when I joined the 1st team in grade 10, it was a bit of a transition period in the side, but when I got to matric we were much better," he explains As many would know, adapting to tertiary education is never easy, and extra-mural activities take a back-seat. Listening to Temba rowing back over his story it is hard not to smile at how much his world has been turned upside down. As he explains himself, he now has a qualification he is yet to use from NMMU and is looking forward to furthering his coaching career abroad.

Quite clearly, being a young black coach in a country littered with inequality is tough, and despite the galling start, Bungane found mentors who have guided him through the process.

"I took a sabbatical from Waterpolo after highschool, reason being, my schedule was just too hectic. I then met a former coach of mine in a mall and he told me I should get back involved and I did. I started managing in 2016 and went on my first tour as a manager for Eastern Province and then made a transition into coaching in 2017 and from there I haven’t looked back

"To be honest, when I first entered the space it was difficult to assimilate and try to get my face out there, because obviously being a coach of color, in a sport that’s dominated by white people it’s tough. Having said that, I’ve had two white mentors who have been phenomenal for my development, I would not be where I am now without them. I’m in a position now where I believe black people can join Waterpolo and thrive if given the opportunity and time to develop their skills" he acknowledges It is a fact that a person’s sporting prowess is mainly developed at school level. There are some exceptions, but the rule is that the majority of professional sports players hail from Model C sporting schools where they receive the best possible training, equipment and facilities. It mirrors the socio-economic makeup of the country to a large extent as well. The development of centralized professional sporting structures is paramount to the development of the sport, In which Temba agrees that it needs to happen.

"One of the biggest challenges in South Africa is that we don’t have a centralized system or Premier League where we can monitor and develop players through their careers from a young age to a professional scene.

"It’s something that the sport really needs to look at, and I know that we have, but it’s difficult financially, We have to revisit in the future. What I know is, for the U20 national side, we took the U18 side from two years ago and tried to keep them together, tried to get them involved in the sport after school and monitor them from there.

"Another trend we have seen is that a lot of the WaterPolo talent goes to the Western Cape, so there is a bit of a center where we can monitor the talent. You also do get late bloomers who come through the ranks in an unorthodox way, but that’s mainly an exception of the rule" Temba says

Being a coach in any particular sport absorbs you, it's part of your core, the obsessive attention to detail, and exuding a palpable love for the game. Temba elaborates on the methods he has used to upskill himself and keep engaged while still learning his trade. "I’ve had to do a couple of courses and align myself with different coaches and I’m still learning the game trying to get better. I’ve got one license under my name and I have a referee’s course as well.

"For me, it’s just trying to be the best version of myself, I don’t have the experience of playing in the World Championships or Olympic which helps them find a job quicker than myself for instance. Developing yourself is a 24/7 job especially in sport, you’ve got to be learning and evolving especially in this country the game is always changing, so you’ve always got to be engaged which takes a lot of time." The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed the lack of self-sustainability in various sectors in the world, Sports such as Waterpolo, who receive little to no funding and rely on sponsorships will continue to struggle after the pandemic is over. The sport is in trouble especially in this country, the gap between your private schools and your public schools is huge, and the pandemic is only going to stretch it further.

"Unfortunately, it’s not sustainable for a federation to make tournaments self-funded, especially when they cost so much money, it’s not easy. There are even issues with the Olympic Games where a lot of players want to be involved in the event next year but can’t afford it."

But, being involved in the FINA World Junior U20 Men Water Polo Championship, held in Kuwait, is still an experience he'll treasure forever.

"It was my first year as a national coach and I needed experience, so they paired me up with one of the most experienced coaches in the country, it was a really good position for me to be in.

"We finished 14th, yes it might not seem like the highest position, but it’s the best any African side has come in its history, so for us, we view it as a huge step. We have goals and the South African coaches have started a program and it needs to grow gradually. Last year's tournament was our first step and now it’s about sustaining that position and growing from there.

"So this year since I’m an age group coach I took over the U14/U15 program with two other great coaches" But back in Port Elizabeth, Temba is trying to keep busy in anticipation of his delayed relocation to England.

"I got a position in London recently and I was supposed to leave next week, unfortunately, my visa will not arrive in time so I’ll be leaving this time next year.

"I’m definitely looking forward to it though, I’ve already met some of the staff members there, they such great people and the school is phenomenal. Not only that, but I'll also be joining the England Waterpolo coaching staff as well, and the amount of effect put into developing coaches in Europe is at a much higher quality... so I know I’m in good hands."