Zakiya McKenzie
zakiyam@caxton.co.za
The South African National Men’s Wheelchair Basketball team visited the Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital in Auckland Park to participate in their annual sports day.
The team, affectionately called the Amawheela Boys, played a friendly game against the AngloGold Ashanti Lions team while notables such as Deputy Minister in the Department of Women, Children and People With Disabilities, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, enjoyed the display from the sideline.
The Amawheelaboys went on to play against the Netcare Paramedics team who climbed into wheelchairs themselves and took on the squad.
“This is such a great event. It gives all of us the motivation to know that we should not give up despite what has happened to us, there is still life to be lived,” said an enthusiastic Shadrack ‘Coach Shak’ Moepeng, Amawheelaboys assistant coach.
The Sasol-sponsored national team is gearing up for the African Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Championships in Luanda, Angola from 24 October to 3 November. South Africa enters as defending champions with Nigeria and Zimbabwe ranked second and third respectively.
