Mom wishes her son well in France

A mother who lives in Alex has wished her Limpopo-based son well for his trip to France to participate in the Danone Nations Cup world finals in October.

Dakalo (13), is the son of Bella Mukwevho, a domestic worker in Sandton. He will be among the soccer players of Benny’s Sports Academy in rural Tshiozwi, near Louis Trichardt in Limpopo, who will be travelling to France after the academy team won the Danone national finals of the competition held at the WJ Clements Stadium in Reiger Park at the beginning of July.

The world finals will take place in Paris from 14 to 16 October this year, and Dakalo is among the players who beat nine other schools for the spot to represent South Africa.

“I am delighted that my son from a rural school in Vhembe will be one of the players to represent the country in the Danone Nations Cup in a land that I don’t even know and may never ever go to in my life. I wish him all the best in the finals and hope they bring the cup back home,” said Bella, who is a single parent to her two boys who live alone back home while she works for their upkeep in Johannesburg.

The team, which is captained by Dakalo, is hard at work preparing for the competition in the French capital. And not having a grass field to train on has meant the boys need to travel to Louis Trichardt and to distant Polokwane for practices.

Bella tries to make a trip home from Alexandra once a month to check on the boys, and saves every cent to be able to feed the family and pay school fees.

Her older son, Brutance, who heads the family in her absence, does exceptionally well at school and his focus is on education so he can study engineering after matric and help lift the family out of poverty.

Bella went to watch Dakalo at the national finals in Reiger Park and that was very motivating for him. “She saw me playing my best and that was important to me,” he said.

“I loved Joburg, it is very different from where I come from and where I go to school. It is expensive and busy.”