27 May 2020 – “A goal without a plan is just a wish”, but for Nyandeni her goal became her reality.
Nompumelelo ‘Mbuzi’ Nyandeni, first left a mark when she lifted the first ever SASOL League Trophy as Captain playing for a former club, Detroit Ladies in 2008. The stage light started to burn brighter for this phenomenal player.
For over 14 years Nyandeni has given her life to football.
In 2003 Nyandeni trialed with Arsenal ladies but couldn’t officially sign with the team because of her age, but later signed her first professional contract in 2010 with Russian side, FC Rosiyanka, where she fulfilled a bucket list worthy objective; which was to play in the UEFA Women’s Champions League and became the first South African female footballer to reach the Quarter final stage with her team.
Nyandeni continued to capture the hearts of many South African football fans and is amongst the most glorified South African legends.
In 2014 Mbuzi returned to South African soil and did not hesitate to sign with JVW FC.
Having qualified for the 2016 SASOL League National Championships but finishing runners-up, 2019 saw a promising year for the team. Not only to win the overall SASOL League, but to book a spot in the 2020 Women’s National League.
Captaining the 2019 SASOL League campaign, Nyandeni knew that the ultimate goal for her team was to win the SASOL League but also had a big personal goal attached to it.
The JVW First Team Captain had set out to score 50 goals in the 2019 edition of the Sasol league and she did just that. Nyandeni ended the Gauteng Provincial league with 44 goals and went into the championships scoring the remaining 6 goals which totalled the big 50!
Proof that if you put your heart and energy into something, it can definitely be attainable.
“The magnitude of witnessing a player score 50 goals in a season can sometimes be underpraised. Especially when that player is Mpumi Nyandeni; humbly and professionally she ticked over results for her team with great consistency and completely led from the front at all times. I know full well I may never have another firsthand account of a player scoring 50 goals in a season during my career and for that, Mpumi, I thank you.” – Ciara Picco, JVW FC Head Coach
“Thank you to my teammates, my coach and technical team for all your support and for believing in me. Without you guys, I wouldn’t have achieved this. To all the fans, I thank you too for coming and supporting us and especially to Natalie Salgado, Gabriela’s mom, who’s voice always kept me going because you would always scream my name. Thank you to everyone.”
(source: JvwFC)