In a long-overdue catch-up, CSA Director of National Teams and High Performance Enoch Nkwe sat down with us to reflect on the journey behind South Africa’s Test success, the emotional weight of watching Shukri Conrad lift a trophy at Lord’s, and why this is just the beginning of a bigger mission. Here are the standout moments from our conversation.

Not everything that looks smooth on the outside is easy behind the scenes.
Nkwe gives insight into the reality of leadership and how tough it is to keep the machine running —even when fans only see the wins.

“No, look, it’s been great, I must say. Not to say that things have been smooth sailing. It will never be smooth sailing. You know, for the team to achieve something of this magnitude, it’s not always going to be, everything just falls into place.

“So, someone or us behind the scenes, we need to make sure that things look like they’re smooth sailing. It’s been great, I must say, in general, to see both pro team men and women being able to get to the finals and eventually get over the hurdle and achieve what we’ve achieved so far.”

But the real reward? It’s bigger than silverware. For Nkwe, there’s something deeply meaningful in simply seeing players love the game—and knowing that the country is behind them.

“It’s been tough at times, but, yeah, I mean, I can’t complain. As long as on the field we are achieving good things and people are happy and seeing players smile. Seeing players just loving the game and loving what they get paid to do, and seeing the nation celebrating in the manner that they’ve done so far. It’s been lovely, I must say, yeah.”

When Shukri Conrad lifted that trophy, it hit differently. Nkwe doesn’t shy away from the emotional weight of the moment—seeing a coach he appointed, a man he’s walked this journey with, achieve something historic.

“Yeah, look, it’s been a journey, eh? I mean, you know, to see someone like Shukri, that I’ve known for such a long time and someone who has a deep understanding of the system, that really cares about the system. To finally have someone of his calibre with such maturity and with such experience. He’s a father figure, he’s a mentor, he’s a coach.

“To be able to do it for us and with the leadership of Temba and everybody else, the KGs and Aidens and Keshavs, it’s been very special.”

Behind every success is a blueprint, years in the making. Nkwe talks about the grind. The strategy. The meetings, the headaches, the fights. All in pursuit of national alignment and one common goal.

“And look, I mean, there’s been a lot of people at CSA who have contributed to this from. People can say whatever they want, you know, the support at different structures, from MC to the board, obviously, executives, the cricket services, I mean, Eddie [Khosa] has done some great work for many years and, you know, to come in and into the system and we always had this vision, you know, from 2019 right through and getting that support and working together.

“And at times it was cracking our skulls, okay, how are we going to go about this? Because for us, it’s always been about the alignment, you know, from grassroots all the way to the top.”

And when the top delivers—everyone below starts to believe. The win is bigger than a moment. It becomes something you can point to. Something that inspires. Something that proves it’s possible.

“And now to be able to sit here today and say, okay, the top has achieved this, that becomes now the example, now something that we can talk about and motivate and get a lot of kids to believe it is possible, we can achieve it. And also not only from a playing point of view, but also from a coaching point of view, that a coach who has come through the system, he’s had some good success at domestic cricket and he’s done SA U19 and all of that, can do it.

“It’s not to say that just because you didn’t play international cricket or whatever, it doesn’t mean you can’t do it. I mean, we’ve seen it in different sporting codes, you know, the likes of Jurgen Klopp and all of them achieving great things. And for us to see Shukri doing it, and I know how much it means to him, and I could see in his eyes.”

Some moments take time to hit. This was one of them. Even Nkwe, a man of vision and structure, admits that the magnitude of what they achieved hasn’t fully landed yet. But one day, it will.

“I mean, he didn’t even know what to say, what to do. Same as Temba. Yeah, for me, I’m still processing it. I’m not going to lie. One day, I’ll probably reflect on this and that moment at Lord’s. And maybe that’s when it’s going to hit me, you know, and yeah, it’s been very special.”

Nkwe doesn’t forget the people who never stopped believing. He makes it a point to acknowledge every fan, partner, and believer in South African cricket—no matter how rocky the road was along the way.

“Thanks again to all our fans, our key stakeholders, everyone that always believed in the team, as much as there’s been a lot of pains along the way, headaches and all of that. And for really backing us all the way, no matter what. And not only in South Africa, but also globally, because we’ve had a good following, I must say. And thanks for all the support. And we’ll do everything in our powers, everything that we can, you know, to keep making everyone proud.”

The mission now? Keep the momentum rolling into home soil. Nkwe knows the job’s far from done. But with a home World Cup and WTC defence ahead, the belief is stronger than ever.

“And I mean, the next stop obviously is after the T20, it’s a big one that we’re going to be hosting at home. And then again, we want to be in a position that we can retain the WTC in 2027, you know, building into the Cricket World Cup at home.”