The struggles of Sinalo Jafta off the cricket field have been well documented, but the Proteas Women’s wicketkeeper has tipped her helmet to Cricket South Africa (CSA) for the mental health support she has received over the years.
“When I did finally say, ‘Listen, I have a problem,’ they literally said, ‘We got you.’ That’s the one thing I’ll always be grateful to Cricket South Africa for doing—sending me into rehab,” Jafta told SportsBoom.co.za.
Back in 2022, Jafta took a leave of absence from the game to enter rehab for alcoholism, even with the Cricket World Cup looming just four months away. Yet, Jafta knew she had reached a breaking point, and an immediate intervention was her only option. CSA was right there to support her.
“They weren’t obligated to, but they literally said, ‘We see something.’ They allowed me a period of about two months inside, away from the outside world, and they gave me that second chance,” Jafta reflected.
Mental Health Challenges in Sports: Overcoming Fear and Seeking Help
“With players struggling mentally—whether with addiction or whatever it is—asking for help is the first step to getting better. If you’re afraid, you’d be surprised by how many people are actually willing to help. I held onto that fear for a year before I actually went into rehab.”
The mental health of sports stars has been under a harsh spotlight recently, following the tragic death of Bafana Bafana player Jayden Adams at just 25, only weeks after competing in the FIFA World Cup. While the official circumstances surrounding Adams’ death remain under investigation, police have opened a formal inquest into the matter.
For Jafta, acknowledging the reality of her situation was the hardest part of the journey.
“The most important thing for me was that when I got the opportunity to come clean about my addiction, I actually took it. At first, I denied it. I was saying to someone earlier that it took me a year to acknowledge I was actually an alcoholic. The doctor and the head coach at the time reached out and said, ‘Jaf, we think we have a problem here.’ But it still took me a year to actually get help.”
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