Former Proteas assistant coach, Enoch Nkwe, opens up about his time away from the game and confirms that his focus is not on becoming the next head coach of the Proteas.
There have been a lot of rumours surrounding coach Enoch Nkwe since his resignation last year. With all the media attention Mark Boucher has received in recent times regarding alleged off-the-field misconduct that will be addressed in a hearing in May 2022, it is natural for fans to start speculating.
Some rumours have gone as far as placing Nkwe front and centre of the controversy, making bold claims that he has already been lined up as the replacement for Boucher should he be relieved from his role as head coach of the national team.
In an exclusive interview with Cricket Fanatics Magazine, Nkwe spoke for the first time since his resignation in August 2021and explains what his thinking is regarding his career while clearing up the rumours about his future.
“These types of things can be quite disturbing. I haven’t really been in the media space with regards to reading articles, social media and all that. It was very important for me, to use this sabbatical time to myself and really take time off and reflect on the last couple of years and what I actually want to do going forward,” he said.
“There’s been a lot of rumours, I mean, I’ve got a lot of people sort of sending me messages trying to find out ‘is this true or not?’ For me, it was actually a surprise. I’ll be honest, I haven’t been in contact with CSA with regards to that.
“I’m not quite sure where the rumours come from. Whether I’ll be the next coach or not, I mean… I’m not even thinking that I’ll be. When I come back into the game, I don’t know if I’ll be going into coaching or going into other areas. I’ve been playing around with so many ideas on how I can, if I do stay locally, help the system to grow up to become better.
“To be honest, in terms of the Proteas space, there’s a reason why I resigned, and I’m happy with that [choice] in terms of the space that I’m in. A lot of things obviously happened last year. And right now, to be honest, I’m in a completely different space and a lot of things are coming out in the media.
“It’s very disturbing. But to be honest, I’m not really looking to get back into that space. I’m looking at other areas in terms of how I can actually grow as a person and grow in my cricketing space.
“Maybe in the future, I’ll come back and coach. But we’ll see. I mean, there are so many opportunities.
“I’m actually in a better space right now. I’m so much more refreshed. And if something comes globally [in the next few months or so], and I’m offered that opportunity, I’m gonna take it. I’m not gonna sit back and hope for things to happen.
“If something comes locally/domestically then I’ll look into it and if it excites me, I’m gonna take it.
“But in terms of me being the next coach [of the Proteas], that’s not true. I respect CSA in terms of their own processes, whatever they do. I haven’t been in contact with them, I did my exit interview and that was it. We parted ways and I’m a free agent. I’m just looking forward to what’s to come.
“I haven’t really put my head around the National Post. I do really respect Mark Boucher, in terms of, you know, he’s still in that position,” he added
“The guys are down in New Zealand, and I have no doubt, that they are going to do well there. They’ll continue to play good cricket as they did now. Whatever happens, is between Mark Boucher and Cricket South Africa.
“I’ve got other ideas that I’m actually pondering that I’m playing around with, and I’m excited to implement those ideas, whether it’s locally or elsewhere, but we’ll wait and see.”
Nkwe has always been passionate about making an impact on South African cricket, specifically domestically because he looks for opportunities where he can lend a hand and help the system grow.
The former Jozi Stars and Lions coach sees himself as strategic in the way he operates and thinks and when it comes to building structures and ensuring that there’s a synergy between various levels within a cricket organisation.
There was proof of this during his time spent with Gauteng cricket and the Lions. This was where we saw Nkwe in his element, building an environment that was successful from the bottom to the top.
This systematic thinking is a huge aspect of his philosophy.
“When I signed the contract back then with Gauteng cricket, to run the high-performance programme and coaching the U19 to the U23s, I’ve always been that person that likes to build systems and implement a certain philosophy within the system and grow that system throughout. For example, growing the system from U19 till semi-pro.
“I always had this massive vision in terms of Lions cricket back then. I knew that my role was to make sure that we strengthen the gap between youth cricket and senior cricket. That was my massive investment for a good four years and building those systems and building a lot of trust, belief and the style of play.
“I’m the type of person that when I want to create a vision, I go after it. I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure that everything starts to align towards that vision. And that’s what I did over a period of four years. I was fortunate enough that Gauteng Cricket gave me an opportunity to work with the Strikers. And I linked up that system that I built from U19 right up to the Strikers.
“And man, I was fortunate also that the players that I worked with from U19 cricket responded to the system. I had a lot of support as well, from the union. I had good people around me, in terms of the coaches and managers and we spoke the same language. They could see the same thing. So it was massive synergy back then.
“A couple of years down the line from then, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with the Lions.
“I was lucky that the guys who remained at the franchise continued with the system in their own ways without having to deflect from the value systems or the core base that actually helped us back then as a province to be successful.
“When I came back things clicked. We continued with our system. So I’ve always been that person that produces a vision and then works on a strategy and all the ingredients that are needed to ensure that we do achieve the bigger picture.”
With regards to his future, Nkwe was very optimistic and confident that the right job will present itself, even if it is not in a coaching capacity.
“I’m just hoping that if I venture away from the coaching space – which I am contemplating – I’m moving to sort of a very strategic position that I can be given that opportunity, doesn’t matter whether it’s locally, or whether it’s internationally,” Nkwe added.
“I’m just so passionate about coming up with systems and coming up with a bigger picture, and then finding ways to link it up. Finding out how we all align. I’m not saying that we all will click and, things are going to always work smoothly, but just the groundwork that goes into putting the whole piece together, that’s what excites me.
“I’m just hoping that I’ll have that opportunity at some point in my life, that I can actually venture into the space, and build this massive strategy and build this philosophy and run with it and make it as great as we can.
“But, without a big picture for me, things become very meaningless – I lose the motivation, I lose the energy. I need a big picture, I need something that is bigger than just me, the team, any individual. Something bigger we can look at and say ‘Wow, that is so powerful. Can we actually do this?'”
“Whether it takes one year, two years or five years or 10 years, it’s that whole energy that investment into it in aligning the conflicts, the disagreements and the agreements. All of those ingredients that can make a team work together and achieve greatness, a system to achieve greatness. That is so exciting for me. To see people succeed, for me, that’s even better.”
Watch the full conversation to find out more about Enoch Nkwe’s philosophy and goals for the future:
