Coach Nkululenko Malgas guided the North-West University (NWU) Soccer Institute to the ABC Motsepe League national playoffs. He will now take another step in university football after receiving a national appointment to lead the University Sport South Africa (USSA) football team at the 2026 Confederation of Universities and Colleges Sports Association (CUCSA) Games in Gaborone, Botswana, from 28 June to 5 July. Alongside him, Buhle July will join the national setup as the team physiotherapist.

CUCSA, established in 1990 in Lusaka, brings together national university and college sports associations from Africa’s Zone VI countries. Athletes from Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe will compete at the 2026 CUCSA Zone VI Games.

Reflecting on the appointment, coach Malgas described the opportunity as a major milestone in both his personal and professional journey.

“It is a milestone for me on a personal and professional level. At first, I turned the role down because of commitments at the Soccer Institute. I wanted to focus on the ABC League and USSA football competitions, but after talks with the USSA football executive, I accepted,” he said.

The CUCSA games will place USSA in a position in which results from past tournaments may shape expectations. Coach Malgas said the team carries the task of defending a title while competing outside South Africa.

“We have pressure on our shoulders because we are the defending champions. We have to defend the crown and we will do so on foreign soil. It will not be easy. The team we assembled at the University of Pretoria this past weekend can deliver,” he concluded.