Nontobeko Nyalunga. Image: Supplied

It’s a Friday afternoon, and the doping room at UWC’s sports stadium at the main campus hums quietly in the background. Nontobeko Nyalunga, more popularly known as “Dott,” is focused on strapping a student athlete’s ankle. At first glance, she seems a quiet professional who takes her work seriously yet radiates empathy. The athlete does most of the talking, while Nyalunga listens, her hands working methodically. Here, her patients’ trust becomes obvious, a trust she has earned through consistent care, honesty and commitment.

In the high-pressure world of competitive sport, injuries are inevitable, but for Nyalunga, they are also deeply personal challenges that require skill, patience and trust to overcome. As the head physiotherapist for the Hollywoodbets women’s soccer team at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), she’s seen it all: ankle sprains that won’t heal, torn ACLs, ruptured Achilles tendons, and bones broken in the heat of competition. Some players bounce back quickly; others become what she jokingly calls her “full-time patients,” caught in cycles of recovery and relapse.

Physiotherapy wasn’t her first choice. She had a passion for home economics and set her sights on studying at the University of Johannesburg, the only institution she applied to. But she wasn’t accepted. “I should’ve listened to my mom,” she chuckles. “I should have taken high school more seriously. But clearly, it wasn’t meant to be.” With her sister's guidance, she found her way to the Physiotherapy Department at UWC, a twist of fate that would ultimately define her career.

Her student years at UWC were transformative. “It was awesome, I grew up here. I was a tomboy, and I still am, but back then, I never wore dresses. My parents were strict, so I was sheltered. Coming here, it was like UWC was its little world. I got exposed to so many things — life things.” She remembers her mother thanking her best friend for getting her to wear dresses. 

After completing her studies, Nyalunga landed her first job at Border Rugby. This was where her love for sport really began, not just for the game itself, but for the specialised care required to treat sport-specific injuries. “Rugby taught me a lot. You learn to think fast, work under pressure, and deal with injuries that are very different from what you see in a clinic. It sharpened my instincts and deepened my passion for what I do.”

Image: Supplied

So what is it about physiotherapy that has kept her in the profession? It is simple: people. “I love working with people. Even when I was doing hospital work, it was the talking, the human connection.” It’s also kind of therapeutic for me. My mom passed away in 2014, the year I started working. Working with patients and hearing their stories made me realise my situation wasn’t that bad. They talk to us like we’re psychologists. You help them physically, but you also listen. That’s what I fell in love with. If it wasn’t going to be sports, I was going to work in neuro strokes, rehab, that kind of work.”

But breaking into the sports world as a black female physio hasn’t been easy. “I think it’s my glasses,” Nyalunga joked when asked why she thinks she gets undermined so often. She shares one story from early in her career: “I was treating a player when the ref called the physio from the opposing team a male instead of me. I said, ‘I’m the physio here.’ They just didn’t expect a black woman in that role. Another time, I was asked for my accreditation on the sideline while a male conditioning coach on my team, who wasn’t a physio, was allowed on the field without any questions.”

Her belief in the healing power of her hands and her faith keeps her grounded.

“Before I leave home, I always pray over my hands. I ask God to let them bring healing to someone that day. It’s not nice seeing a player in pain, but I’ve learned patience. Physio has taught me that healing, whether it’s the body or people’s attitudes, takes time.”

Working with young, talented student-athletes is a privilege but comes with pressure. Many are on sports bursaries, balancing academics with the intense demands of training and competition. For Nyalunga, the stakes feel high: she holds their sporting futures in her hands. But that doesn’t mean they always meet her halfway. “Sometimes they don’t take themselves seriously. You know you should be coming for treatment, but you’re waiting for me to call you. They never take the initiative.”

She treasures the sports community and the friendships she has forged. What brings her immense pride is to see individuals who were once players leading teams as coaches today. And while her career thrives, she is not in a relationship and does not have children. “I think society still measures women by marriage and children, but I can’t have sleepless nights over it. Sometimes it’s just not in God’s plan, and that’s okay.”

Women’s Month is a time to celebrate women like Nyalunga who are shaping communities. She proves that when you love what you do and fight for your place, you can change more than just the game.