Germiston basketball wheelchair player aims high for championships
My parents did not understand my disability and as a result they delayed me to going to school.
Wheelchair basketball player, athlete and Germiston resident Bongekile Miya has her eyes set on competing at the SA Sports Association for the Physically Disabled (SASAPD) National Championships in Bloemfontein.
The championships are set to take place in exactly six months from the month of October.
Bongekile is a member of the Gauteng wheelchair basketball team.
They practice at Kwa-Thema Stadium and call Mandeville Sports Centre in Kensington home.
She has competed in basketball competitions such as the Super Vodacom Challenge and Supa Bet Tournament over the last five years, earning both her provincial and national honours.
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She draws inspiration from Lucas Sithole, a South African wheelchair tennis player, who plays in the quad division of the sport.
Sithole is the 2013 US Open wheelchair tennis quad champion and also won the 2016 Australian Open Grand Slam in doubles, partnering with David Wagner.
Miya started playing basketball when she was still in Kwa-Zulu Natal at the age of 12.
“My parents did not understand my disability as a result they delayed me to going to school. I started attending school at 12 because my parents did not want me to leave home,” said Miya.
“These are some of the challenges disabled people face across the country, especially in rural areas where resources are scarce. Education around disability is also lacking.
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“When I started playing basketball I was not familiar with using a wheelchair. At school, they taught me how to use it.
“As I grew confident, I started to perform better. When I was 13, I was selected for the U15 school basketball team and represented KZN in Port Elizabeth.”
Miya moved to Gauteng to further her high school studies at Adelaide Tambo School for the Physically Challenged in Soweto.
She continued to hone her skills in basketball as well as athletics and she now represents Gauteng basketball.
Basketball took her to Italy in 2021 and this year she travelled to France where she represented the national team.
“As far as athletics are concerned, we are preparing for next year,” said Miya.
“My aim is to be able to retire at a particular age and develop a new generation of talent. I want them to excel more than me,” said Miya.
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The 23-year-old Miya finished a learnership programme in 2020 and then took computer studies and a level three certificate in management.
She was also a nominee at the recent Gauteng Women in Sports Awards (Ekurhuleni region).
