Ms Mandisa Lovedale Mkhwanazi Lukhele is a determined young woman who has made a name for herself in youth development in Ermelo.
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Born and bred in Wesselton, she was raised by her grandmother from an early age.
She is well-known in the township and attended the Phumula Primary School and matriculated at the Thafa Secondary School.
Ms Lukhele furthered her studies at the University of Zululand and boasts a national diploma in public relations.
Doing her internship at the local municipality enabled her to meet people from all walks of life who ignited a passion in her to help the disadvantaged.
However, that took a backseat when she joined her friends in exercising and playing basketball.
She was a sports girl from a young age and it was inevitable that sport would play a huge role in her life.
Being a drum majorette at school and a chess player at university, team work has always been important to her.
Joining the group of friends for the occasional basketball match, led her to the Gert Sibande District Basketball League.
Ms Lukhele worked her way up to become their administrator and she was instrumental in bringing all the basketball teams in the district under one umbrella, where they have equal and fair opportunity to get assistance from the Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation.
She has played a pivotal role in the improvement at the league, with teams holding tournaments and participating in provincial games under her administration.
“Every team in the Gert Sibande District has a team kit, scoreboards and basketballs to practice with.
“When a team is well-equipped, the quality of their play increases and we can play with the cream of the crop and win,” she said.
Her push for unity in the sport yielded positive results as the teams in the district are recognised in the province.
Ms Lukhele also manages the Ermelo based basketball team, the New Age Spartans, and launched her own basketball tournament in December.
The Lovedale Basketball Tournament hosted eight teams from the province and the country, with players coming from as far as Swaziland and Johannesburg.
Her ultimate goal is to host the tournament annually, expand it to weekends with towns in the district providing a venue to showcase the sport in all the communities.
Ms Lukhele’s rise to the top put her in the spotlight with naysayers challenging her at every turn.
“It is not easy being a woman in a man’s sport, but my work speaks for itself.”
Basketball may be Ms Lukhele’s love, but youth development is her calling.
Ubuhlebentuthuko Youth Centre is where she spends most of her time, helping the youth of Wesselton with career guidance, job preparation and arming them with entrepreneurship and computer skills.
Ms Lukhele does all this despite being partially impaired in one ear and wearing a hearing aid.
“It has not been an obstacle at all though and I can carry out my daily duties without any problem.”
She was also diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but it has not deterred her from assisting her township, Wesselton.
“We all need to work together as a team to improve our circumstances, because together we can do so much more,” she said.
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