Stars build dreams on the rebound

Normally, you find these tall athletes flying around a basketball court but, for a day last week, players from the US National Basketball Association (NBA) turned bricklayers and labourers as they helped put up houses in double quick time for people who have lived in shacks for years.

As part of the Africa Game 2018 tour, NBA and Women’s NBA players, coaches, legends and executives descended on a small section of Lawley township, south of Johannesburg on Thursday to help build 10 homes for shack dwellers.

The vice-president and managing director of NBA Africa, Amadou Gallo Fall, said the collaboration between NBA Africa’s Basketball Without Borders Africa and NBA Cares and Habitat for Humanity was a way to use sport to empower communities the youth.

[NBA Africa] have been consistent from day one,” he said, “not only here in Africa, but on a global basis, building communities, leveraging the celebrity of our players who are global icons to come and inspire not only young folks who want to follow in their footsteps, but contributing in using the transformative power for the love of sports to empower communities.

We all have a responsibility to make sure we give back to communities around the world.” NBA global ambassador Dikembe Mutombo, who was among the bricklayers, said, “It feels very good to know that you are giving back and making a difference … helping those in need so that’swhat makes me feel good. It’s like my 10th year doing this, so I’m really enjoying it.”

Grinning as her new home took shape was Patricia Madonono, who has been living in her small shack in Lawley since 1999.

Born and raised in the Eastern Cape, she fell pregnant in her early 20s and moved to Johannesburg, where she spent 19 years living in a shack and applying for government housing.

Now a mother of two, she started applying for housing in 2004.

“I got to a point where I even lost hope and stopped doing follow-ups, but today I am so happy! I have always said I wanted to bring my children from Eastern Cape to live with me.”

– jenniffero@citizen.co.za