Exciting Appointment in African Soccer for Former UKZN Medical School SRC President

Former UKZN Medical School SRC President Dr Thulani Ngwenya is in the news again following his appointment as Vice-President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Medical Committee.

A Bafana Bafana football team doctor since 2014 and South African Football Association’s (SAFA) Chief Medical Officer since 2015, Ngwenya is a young pioneer with a vision to offer new medicinal solutions to advance sport in the world, in particular African sport.

Ngwenya was born and raised in Ka-Nyamazane, a township in Mpumalanga, where his passion and love for medicine in sport were ignited.

His illustrious career includes working with all the SAFA national teams; being the Council of Southern Africa Football Association’s (COSAFA) Chief Medical Officer across all its tournaments; a Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Doping Control Officer; an Occupational Health Practitioner at SBV; a minister in the Episcopal Church in Africa, and an African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Regional Organising Committee Chair for Public Safety, Safeguarding and Sustainability.

He is the founder and Director of the Xhilumane Healthcare Solutions Sports Clinic, and Co-Founder and Director of the Dr Thulani Ngwenya Foundation. In 2022, he became a CAF MRI Age-Determination Panel member; a SA Football Medical Committee Chair; a COVID-19 Return to Sport Adjudication Committee Member under the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture; and a Doping Control Officer for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon.

Ngwenya’s 2023 highlight was his appointment as Doping Control Officer for the Senior Men’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar and U20 Men’s FIFA World Cup in Argentina, while his 2024 highlights included being appointed Doping Control Officer for AFCON in the Ivory Coast; Team SA’s Medical Officer for the Paris Olympics, and serving as a Doping Control Officer this year during the FIFA Beach World Cup in Seychelles.

In June he will be in the United States for the FIFA Club World Cup.

Author of the book Sports Medicine: My Love & Passion, his qualifications include a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree in Biological Sciences and Environmental Management from the University of Zululand; an MBChB from UKZN; a Master’s degree in Sports and Exercise Medicine from the University of Pretoria; a Diploma in Football Medicine Switzerland Zurich (FIFA); a Diploma in Occupational Health from the University of Pretoria; a Certificate of Competence in Travel Medicine from Wits University; a FIFA Certificate in Advanced Football Emergency Medicine, and a Level 3 Advanced Immediate Care in Rugby.

‘My vision is: Let’s build and lead African Football and global sport into the future using the most adequate and innovative sports medical solutions produced in Africa,’ Ngwenya added.

Words: Lunga Memela

Photograph: Supplied