MASERU - He is not only a veteran in the volleyball court, but Tlhoriso Makenete is also one of the most successful local coaches in the sport. This after he graduated from being a star player of the Red Skins volleyball club, one of the country’s top volleyball teams.

Makenete is today one of the team’s key coaches and administrators. Under his guidance, the Red Skins women’s team won gold medals and four consecutive league titles from 2008 until 2011. 

He led Team Lesotho to the Federation of African University Sports (FASU) Games held in South Africa in 2006. He was also the head coach for the women’s volleyball team at the 2009 Confederation of University and College Sports Association (CUCSA) Games held in Botswana. 

He also led Team Lesotho volleyball men to the 2016 CUCSA Games held in Zimbabwe where Lesotho won a bronze medal. He served the volleyball family as the Vice President Administration from 2010 until 2013 before being elected as the association’s Vice President Technical the same year. 

He is currently the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 2020 Games Technical cluster member representing volleyball.  He is a qualified coach who holds the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Level I and Level II Coaching certificates. 

His extensive experience as both a player and coach has earned him great respect in the volleyball fraternity in the Southern African region. 

From 1989 until 1991, he played for the Lerotholi Polytechnic senior volleyball team before he joined his all-time favourite side, Red Skins the following year as one of the first team recruiters. He later joined the outfit’s first team the same year until he retired in 2012.  

From 1992 to 1999, he played for the national volleyball squad and featured in the Federation of International Volleyball (FIVB) World Cup qualifiers held in Botswana in October 7- 13, 2013 when Lesotho made its debut appearance in the competition. 

As a coach, Makenete mentored the Red Skins women’s team as assistant coach from 1997 until 2007 when he became the team’s head coach, a position he holds to date. 

 He also became the President of the Red Skins volleyball club from 1993 until 1995 when he was elected to serve as the Lesotho Volleyball Association (LVA) Vice President, a position he held for two years, until 2006. 

The same year, he was appointed as the Team Manager of Lerotholi Polytechnic volleyball team and still holds the position now. 

In 2007, Makenete became the Red Skins women coach appointee and the team under his tutelage won a silver medal in the local volleyball league. 

Born on August 31, 1968 in Pitseng, Leribe, Tlhoriso Makenete is the son of ’Mantsoaki and the late Molupe Makenete. He is the third child in the family of five children, three girls and two boys. He was bred in Pitseng.   

He first attended Pitseng LEC Primary School before moving to Pontmain RCM where he completed his Standard Seven in 1983.  He obtained his Junior Certificate (JC) at Pitseng High School in 1986 and his Cambridge Overseas School Certificate (COSC) from the same school in 1988. 

He graduated with a certificate in Woodwork from Lerotholi Polytechnic (LP) in 1991 and later obtained an Advance Certificate in Education in Germany in 2002. 

During his high school days, he was a proficient lawn tennis and volleyball player.  Since 1997 to date, he has been serving as a Trade Instructor and Head of the Programme at LP. Players who gave him nightmares during his playing days include Tšeliso Motšoeneng, Ntsane Ramonate and Tšepo Raletooane among others.