Gwavu delighted to win huge award
But the Lions coach is not going to relax now, he’s working even harder
IN BEING named Coach of the Year by Cricket South Africa at the weekend, the magnitude of the achievement did not hit home for Wandile Gwavu until Monday and then yesterday.
“In the last few days I’ve received a lot of messages from people congratulating me and it hit me that this is really big, and it made me realise that this actually means quite a lot to the people that have been a part of my coaching career. It woke me up that what I’m doing has actually touched quite a lot of lives,” said the Gauteng Lions head coach.
That rang especially true for young black coaches.
“I received a lot of messages from young, aspiring coaches – some I’ve never met – who told me I was an example, I was leading the way and making it possible and opening the doors for young, especially black coaches. That’s an honour that I can do that.
“Other black coaches like Geoff Toyana and Enoch Nkwe have won this award ... but honestly, it’s not a young black coach that has won this award, it’s a cricket coach who has won this award and that’s how I want people to look at me.
“Black is the colour of my skin and I don’t want people to use that as an advantage for me, or a disadvantage at some other point.
“If I use that as an advantage for myself, then at some stage someone will come along and use it as a disadvantage for me, and I don’t want that. I’m a cricket coach, I don’t want to be looked at as a young black coach.”
Gwavu’s success is remarkable given he was thrown in at the deep end last season, when Nkwe, who’d hired him as an assistant the previous summer, was called on to coach the Proteas team in India.
The 33-year-old oversaw the Lions’ successful defence of their Four-Day Series title.
The year before, when Nkwe was crowned Coach of the Year, the Lions won two domestic titles, while Gwavu was also part of the Jozi Stars coaching staff when that side won the inaugural Mzansi Super League competition.
His coaching career started in the Eastern Cape at the Warriors, where following injury he was encouraged to take up coaching.
“I was advised when I was very young – 20 or 21 – that I was a decent coach. Dave Emslie (the Warriors’ chief executive at the time) and Andre du Plessis, who was the academy coach at the Warriors then saw something in me. I used to help (Du Plessis) out with one-on-one sessions, while I was in the academy as a player.
“I had a lot of injuries back then as a player, and I thought to myself that (coaching) could be a way in which I could give back to something that I loved quite a lot.”
He worked with the Eastern Province Academy – where a 10-yearold Lutho Sipamla first came across his radar – and was an assistant under Lawrence Mahatlane with the SA Under-19 team.
Gwavu says his coaching philosophy is still a work in progress, but there are three elements he emphasises on a daily basis – hard work, consistency and honesty.
“I’m still a young coach, so there’s no way I can say this is my philosophy; I’m still looking to improve every day.”
Man-management is one area in which Gwavu wants do better in next season.
“It’s very important when working with people to get the best out of people so that is why manmanagement is so important.
“I did a lot of reflection during the lockdown and one area I’m looking at is to create a good circle of experienced people around me to help me achieve excellence.
“I want people to support me and give me good advice because there will come a time in cricket – it always happens – where things get tough.”