photographed: Professor Skatulla has a chat with Nakedi 

Institutions are defined by the unique individuals that occupy them. The University of Cape Town is no exception with its many talented students, such as Nakedi Malesa. Nakedi is completing her fourth and final year of civil engineering at UCT. She has a unique interest in one of South Africa’s fastest-growing sports, touch rugby, with a particular talent for refereeing. We had a sit down with her and delved into her life as a part-time student and part-time South African touch rugby referee.

How it started

Nakedi’s passion for the sport began in high school, where she was introduced to touch rugby and eventually started playing in 2013 (grade 8). She recalls instantly falling in love with the sport. Just one year later, Nakedi was selected to play at a provincial level in 2014 (grade 9) for the Easterns Touch Association. However, in 2017 she decided to stop playing touch rugby in order to focus on her matric studies. Never one to stay too far from the game of rugby, that same year she decided instead to start refereeing for her association.

“I have always been someone who balanced school with playing sports, and that’s because I believe it helps me keep my head above the water, especially when school gets hectic,”

Dealing with change and finding success

Nakedi recalls that when she left for UCT in 2018, the thing that made her anxious was whether she would still be able to play or referee touch rugby in a new province. “I was so anxious that I would never see the world of touch rugby again,” she recalls. However, one year later, Nakedi represented Western Cape Touch Association at her first-ever nationals, hosted in Cape Town. “My love for the sport helped me overcome my fears, and here I stand today as someone who is blessed to have continued to be a part of the sport,” she reflects on how she transitioned to participating in touch ruby in a new province.

Nakedi’s rise didn’t end there, and she has been selected to represent South Africa as a referee for Junior World Cup in both the u18 and u20 teams. “My goal this year was to be selected to represent South Africa, and now that I have met my goal, I need to encourage myself to keep pushing, which includes moving doubt out of the way,” she said. While she credits her accomplishment to being consistent, she has found that when things get difficult, she tends to make excuses because doubt creeps in. “Doubt often affects my performance, and it is something I am still trying to unlearn, especially in the other sports that I take part in,” she explains.

Balancing sport and studies

With all that is happening in Nakedi’s world of sport, it could be easy to overlook the commitment to studies. This balance is something Nakedi says she is still trying to figure out but looks forward to studying more during the touch off season. “I have always been someone who balanced school with playing sports, and that’s because I believe it helps me keep my head above the water, especially when school gets hectic,” she advises.

The drive doesn’t end there. Nakedi is working towards refereeing at the pinnacle, the Senior National tournament, held in September 2022. “Although it took me five years to get to where I am, I never gave up, and now I stand with the fruits I reaped from having faith that this sport will take me to places which I never thought I could get to, like the international level,” concludes Nakedi.