When six-year-old Onthatile Zulu picked up a hockey stick for the first time little did she know what success the sport would bring her. The 23-year-old has had a stellar year having helped the South African Women’s hockey side reach the 2024 Paris Olympics and she also earned her 50th cap for the national team.
“It’s been such a crazy year, we knew that we wanted to secure our spot in Paris and we did that. It wasn’t easy at all, we knew that the African countries were going to be tough competitors for us. But reaching these milestones for me has been fulfilling, just representing South Africa in general has been my dream. Getting my 50th cap at home with my mom and aunt were there, was extra special.”
Like many sportswomen, Zulu was involved in a few disciplines. She was a swimmer until Grade 10 but had to choose between that and hockey. It’s safe to say she made the right choice! She made her debut for the national side at just 19 years old, during a qualifying event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She then went on to represent South Africa at the Games. Zulu also played at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Zulu says she didn’t think she would have so much success this soon as a hockey player.
“There were more experienced players in the team at the time and when I got my call-up in 2019, I never thought I would end up staying in the team. I knew that, that was something really hard to achieve. After I played my first few games I told myself that I wanted to permanently be a part of this team and for me to do that I need to work extra hard because I am a youngster trying to break through.”
Hockey like most women’s sports in South Africa isn’t professional, which means players have to either be studying or working and in some cases doing both. When it comes to tertiary education, Zulu completed her B.Com in Business Management at the University of Pretoria and graduated. She was able to focus on her hockey this year, a luxury not many players are afforded, as she is sponsored by Red Bull.
The hockey star says being able to focus on just playing hockey rather than having to worry about the financial side will help the players be more successful.
“It would help a lot financially because not a lot of us can afford to pay for our equipment and pay to go to tournaments. You want to go to these tournaments knowing that you don’t have financial burdens, I can just focus on performing to the best of my ability.”
“I think one of the biggest things that players face is, am I going to have enough money to go to the next tournament, is it going to be a financial burden on me, do I have to take leave from work. There are a whole lot of things that people are facing and that South Africa doesn’t know about but we are making those sacrifices because we want to be a part of the South African Women’s hockey team. It’s challenging but hopefully, in the next few years, we have people on board and are willing to help us long-term because that financial contribution makes a whole lot of difference,” she added.
With 2023 being a year that brought Zulu much success, she is aiming for more of the same for herself and the team in 2024.
“I want 2024 to be better than 2023, I’m going to push myself to the limit. I would love to be part of the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 2020 Tokyo Games happened behind closed doors because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so we had no fans watching us, and the stands were empty. So to be able to go to my second Olympics and for there to be an actual crowd, with some of my family members will be amazing.”
Zulu has already shown that she has firmly cemented her place in South African hockey, and we can’t wait to see what else she has in store for the near future.
Photo caption: When six-year-old Onthatile Zulu picked up a hockey stick for the first time she had no idea what success the sport would bring her. The 23-year-old has had a stellar year having helped the South African Women’s hockey team to reach the 2024 Paris Olympics and she also racked up her 50th cap for the national team. Photos: Onthatile Zulu on Instagram
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