Malibongwe Maketa comes from the Eastern Cape, a region known for its hard-bred livestock.
As the temporary head coach of the national side, he will be required to lead the Proteas Down Under for a three-match Test series in December.
Maketa (42) has actually already needed a thick skin to deal with Cricket SA over the past few years where he went from Proteas assistant coach under Otis Gibson to some undefined role for a few months, then sprung up as SA ‘A’ coach, a job he’s continued with, which has allowed him to work again recently with the senior men’s national team.
Since the home series against Bangladesh in April, he has been involved with the team in some form. Before the series in England, he worked with the Test players. He is a recognized figure to the players, so having some consistency is a good thing.
The Proteas are still maintaining a very proud record, having won each of the last three series between the sides in Australia, which is a three-Test series. But it seems like Maketa has an unpleasant duty unless she can locate a magic wand to wave over the batting lineup.
Maketa is regarded as a strict and organized coach. Jon-Jon Smuts, the Warriors franchise team’s captain while Maketa coached them from 2015 to 2017, described him as “extremely diligent.”
He’s a decent person first and foremost, Smuts stated. “As a coach, he established high standards, had outstanding communication with his players, and was excellent at building their trust. He wanted to explore all possibilities, enjoyed hearing diverse viewpoints, and lacked any sense of self.
Under Maketa, the Warriors regretfully lost both of the limited overs finals against the Titans, who had a star-studded lineup.
We performed well under Mali; it was sad that we fell short in those contests, but only one squad could triumph. We Eastern Cape residents pride themselves on being strong, tenacious, and loyal to one another. Mali made use of it. Given that he was born there, he naturally understands the area.
Maketa relocated from the Eastern Cape to Northerns, where he began his coaching career under Richard Pybus and subsequently served as Mathew Maynard’s assistant. He led the Northern semi-professional squad to two provincial championships as its head coach, returning to Gqeberha as Piet Botha’s assistant before taking over as head coach in 2014.
Maketa will be hoping that some of the Test players will be available for the Four-Day Series’ Division 1 matches beginning on November 10. On December 17, the first Test match versus Australia will begin in Brisbane.
Although a coaching staff was not mentioned, it is known that Maketa will go to Australia with CSA’s batting coach, Neil McKenzie.
According to Cricket South Africa’s Director of Cricket, Enoch Nkwe, “Mali knows most of the players well; they know him too. And with such a little time left before the trip, we thought we needed someone who could step in quickly and guide us through what is a vital series for the Proteas.”