Featured: Sanani Mangisa – The Courage to Succeed

“A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found among a thousand, but an accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men.” Plato

The month of August is women’s month in South Africa and we spoke to Vuyisanani  (Sanani) Mangisa, 27 who is someone who embodies the true essence of a woman and above all else humility and courage. Sanani’s story, as Maya Angelou once said “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you”, is one which should be discourse among South Africans for generations to come as she is one of a small group of people who have pioneered their way in what is largely considered a white élite sport in South Africa. History in South Africa must must tell her story or our children will suffer the agony of not having heroes to look up to.

Through having travelled the world and now having more than 100 caps for the South African Women’s Hockey team as in recent times the first choice goalkeeper, Sanani has remained true to herself and stayed grounded as when she introduced herself . “I am Just a kid from Mthatha, Eastern Cape.  Sanani, is actually what my mother calls me when I’m not in trouble. Otherwise it’s Vuyisanani.” At this point it would be fair to point out, in a country where getting coverage for hockey is like sucking blood out of a rock. Prominent sport stars like Sanani get less coverage than your average politician and therefore it would be no surprise if most people reading this article heard the words “nice to meet you Sanani” going through their heads.

Sanani is a person with pride in being involved with the institutions she has been with, and it was clear when referring to her upbringing, “I was born at Mthatha and  I’m an only child raised by my mother. I went to primary school in Eastern Cape at Mthata  International , one of the best primary schools in the country (This is not up for debate).  I later matriculated at Epworth in Pietermaritzburg. I spent my University years at the University of Pretoria. I made my national hockey début 6 months into my first year at varsity.”

“The best lesson from my injury; what I thought was hard work before my injury was only a fraction of it. Our bodies are designed to go beyond expectation.”

Asked about what role her upbringing has played in moulding her as a professional sports woman and now ambassador for the sport, Sanani retorted “I grew up in a family that loves sport but does not have many athletes. I have learnt to stay humble all the time and never to believe the hype.  If you think Twitter critics are bad, try sit at a family dinner with a xhosa family that think they know how you should have played.”

In 2008 Sanani travelled with the South African Womens Hockey team to play in the summer Olympics in Beijing in China. The team didn’t do well at the tournament finishing fifth in Group with the likes of Netherlands and host nation China in the same group. Sanani also travelled with squad in the 2010 Commonwealth games which were held in New Dehli in India where the team finished fourth overall. She was also recently involved in the 2012 Olympic games and the 2014 Womans Hockey World Cup at The Hague in Netherlands.

She has not always been a feature in the team but has fought her way in and has become a permanent feature in the team. She recalls some of her best memories “It’s been a great experience and continues to provide a lot of highs and lows. At times it looks glamorous from the outside but it’s not always. That said, I would not change my journey as a SA hockey player. The older I get the more I realise it’s not just about me or our team. When you take the field as an ambassador of the country, you carry the hope of your supporters’. (And we know how demanding the average SA sports fan is)”

In 2013 she suffered what then seemed to be the biggest setback of her career, when she ruptured achilles tendon during training, which in most cases is a career ending injury for local sportsman. She reflected on it, “In hindsight my injury is one of the best things to happen to me. I went to a place I had never been before in terms of hard work and commitment. Rehab is a dark place. I had a goal to come back within 3.5 months to make the 2014 World Cup. With this goal in sight I made sure I worked hard every single day. I often say rehab is like brushing your teeth, you can’t brush twice today because you missed yesterday. With this in mind, I made sure I worked hard every single day for about 6 hours a day. The best lesson from my injury; what I thought was hard work before my injury was only a fraction of it. Our bodies are designed to go beyond expectation.”  Local sports stars would do well to tear a page out of her book as many a career has ended because of the wrong attitude towards injury.

Sanani is someone who takes pride in her Profession and what she has achieved in her career. Through the ups and down she reflected on some of her most memorable moments, ”Beijing Olympics 2008 and Commonwealth Games 2010 are definitely two of my career highlights. These two tournaments were turning points in my career and the hockey player I am today.”

For the many black children and aspiring sports women and men out there, she left this message for them “When the whole world and your circumstances say you will not achieve, go out and prove them wrong. The journey of a black young international athlete is not easy. Be prepared to work twice as hard as your opposite number.” 

GS Chief Editor