How Dr Phathokuhle Zondi converts on rugby fields

Mail & Guardian

10-05-2025

Advantage: Physician Phathokuhle Zondi realised early on that she could combine both her passions – sport and medicine. Photo: Supplied
From the sidelines of elite rugby fields and the
She went on to work as a medical officer for the 2012 Junior Springboks team with players who became Rugby World Cup winners — Handrè Pollard, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Bongi Mbonambi, Jesse Kriel and Vincent Koch among them.
She later clinched the job of chief medical officer for Team South Africa at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the 2016 Rio Paralympics, the 2017 World Games and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she worked with
At the age of 33 she was appointed chief executive of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa, a position she held for four years.
As chair of the Medical Advisory Commission for the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (2016-2024) she guided athlete care and clinical standards. Zondi also served as president of the South African Sports Medicine Association from 2015 to 2017.
Her fast-paced progression in sports medicine has made her a trailblazer in a male-dominated field. She has a passion for sports — she grew up in a sporty family, her father having completed four Comrades Marathons — and its power to transform individuals.
'I was always very sporty. And at some point it was more than an interest. It was, like, I just love it. I love who I am on the field, what it makes me in terms of the connections, the friends, the contacts,' she said.
She was also interested in biology at school and, as a high achiever in an environment where young people believed 'you must be a doctor, a lawyer or an accountant, out of those three being a doctor appealed to me the most'.
'My sister heard an interview on SAFM with Tim Noakes, the father of sports medicine, and she said, 'You have to listen to this'. I realised, oh my goodness, here is a career that combines these two passions of mine. And from that time, I knew it was what I wanted to do and it has not disappointed,' she said.
Zondi obtained a degree in medicine at the University of Cape Town, a master's degree in sports medicine at the University of Pretoria and an MBA at the Gordon Institute of Business Science.
She attributes her successful career to her mentor, Professor Christa Janse van Rensburg, who was her supervisor in the department of sports medicine at the University of Pretoria and recommended Zondi when the Blue Bulls called seeking a junior medical officer to join the team.
'When she first asked me, I laughed. I was, like, do you see me? No, it's not going to work,' Zondi said.
It was probably one of the toughest times for her; a black woman who had to prove herself in a white male-dominated field. But the opportunity opened doors for her that she could not have imagined.
'I found myself at the Blue Bulls through the encouragement of my then mentor and supervisor. It was a very 'interesting' period,' she said.
'When I entered there obviously it was a very Afrikaans environment. I felt out of place, this black, young woman — and I had dreadlocks, ' she recalled.
'Players [would] go for a second opinion from their house doctor, their GP, while I was a specialist.
'Initially, I was quite offended. Literally nine out of 10 times they would come back to me and say, 'My house doctor says you're right.' But at some point … I just realised they're not doing this because they know me; they're doing it because they don't know me.'
She also recounted instances of being mistaken for a physiotherapist or massage therapist on the field.
'We'd even go to hospitals if we were playing away, and I'd say I am Dr Zondi and hand over my patient to the doctor and, especially if they were Afrikaans and male, they would turn and speak to my male manager instead.
'It was hard but at the same time it was probably the most formative years, and I couldn't have asked for a better learning ground than at the Blue Bulls, and it really ended up being a platform for the rest of my career.'
She said apart from the cultural differences she received excellent support from the team's management.
'I realised that I really love rugby and the actual performance environment speaks exactly to my characteristics and my strengths. I went from there to become a team doctor for the 2020 Junior Boks. And then from there, I started working with World Rugby as an educator, and then senior educator and trainer, training doctors, which is what I do now on a regional basis.'
This turning point came when she was offered a position in World Rugby's medical educator programme — just six weeks after giving birth.
'I said, 'I can't come unless I bring my baby.' And the manager said, 'That's fine, bring your nanny too.' That is what women need. Opportunities — and environments that allow us to show up.'
More recently, Zondi was appointed to lead the medical expert team providing input for Athletics South Africa's case against the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), challenging the proposed Eligibility Regulation for Female Classification. The case was heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in February 2019.
The panel ruled that the IAAF's regulations, which required athletes to reduce their testosterone to compete in certain events, were necessary and proportionate, despite being discriminatory.
This meant that athletes such as Caster Semenya, who had 5-alpha-reductase deficiency, would need to take medication to lower their testosterone if they wanted to continue competing in international events of 400m and a mile.
Zondi said the medical world is still working out the intricacies of gender, human rights and fairness in sports competition.
'It's very controversial, because I think the issue is not a simple one. There are human rights matters and then there's obviously issues related to fair play and creating an environment that protects women, females,' she said.
'I think on the issue of human rights, there'll be unanimous concern that one needs to accept individuals for who they are, however they relate and how they want to show up. But there is a complexity when it comes to sports performance, specifically, if you understand the biology and even the physiology of performance and how hormones may influence physical performance.
'For a male who has gone through puberty, there are a lot of performance advantages that take place and for a man who becomes transgender after puberty there is evidence that there may be a performance advantage. If the change happens before puberty, that is more questionable,' she said.
'I don't know what the solution is and I think the sports world at large is still debating how to accommodate human rights matters, while also being mindful of the performance advantages of men who become women after puberty,' Zondi said.
She spoke about what still holds women back in sports.
'The first challenge is being given a seat at the table. Unfortunately, the way many of our governance and other structures are constituted right now, women are still in the minority, so there's no parity.
'In other words, you do have to receive invitations to the table to be given opportunities, both field-side and in everything from doctors, physios, team management, sports sciences, to governance and administrative positions.
'There is to date no parity in terms of equity within those roles, and even in terms of research, because committees are largely still dominated by men.'
The second issue is financial inequality.
'Having worked in certain governance structures and looking at the financials, women are not paid the same as men. And again, this is on the field, the athletes themselves as well as support personnel and leadership.'
She believes women should be given equal opportunities in an environment that enables them to thrive, embracing the fact they could also be mothers.
This idea of reshaping systems to support — not sideline — women is now at the heart of her work.
As a mother of two daughters her mission is both professional and personal.
'I'm committed to creating a world where my daughters can thrive despite