Venda leader praises Danone boys
JOBURG – National champions of the Danone Nations Cup in South Africa, Benny's Academy has received praise.
A Limpopo traditional leader, Rudzani Sinthumule, has given Benny’s Sports Academy support prior to their trip for the Danone Nations Cup world finals in France later in the year.
This comes hot on the heels of an Alex mother of one of the boys in the team, Bella Mukwevho, who wished her son, Dakalo (13) and the rest of the team well in France.
The U12 soccer team from the academy has been showered with praise and attention ever since they won the national title in the Danone Nations Cup competition back in June at the WJ Clements Stadium in Reiger Park, Boksburg.
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In the latest honour was an invitation to the house of Sinthumule, the paramount traditional leader of nine villages in rural Venda, including Tshiozi, outside of Louis Trichardt, where Benny’s is located.
Sinthumule’s own children attend the school, whose team took a break from their preparations for the trip to France to participate in the tournament which runs from 14 to 16 October.
He told them that it was an honour to be representing both Limpopo and South Africa, including their village – a quiet place where not much takes place. “I am proud that they have managed to beat so many schools that have much better facilities and resources than they have,” he said.
Sinthumule pointed out that most of the players came from disadvantaged homes and did not have much to look forward to. Some of their parents were unemployed and battled to meet their living expenses.
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“I thank Danone for this amazing opportunity that they are offering these players. They would never have gotten the chance to get onto an aeroplane and cross many oceans to play soccer,” he said. He added that the boys must always remember that such opportunities did not come along all the time and urged them to embrace every moment of it.
The traditional leader was full of praise for the school and its founder, David Mufamadi. “The school has made a great impression in the community because the learners are very well-mannered,” he said.
The school was started in 2004, after Mufamadi’s own son, a talented young soccer player, could not follow his dream career due to the limited opportunities in the area.
He approached the local chief for land and used the salary he received as a manager of a local furniture store to build the first classroom and the school opened with 17 pupils. The school now has 346 pupils from Grade 1 to 12 and follows the Department of Basic Education curriculum and boasted a 99 percent matric pass rate last year.
