Ithemba Men and Boys Organisation (IMBO) hosted a soccer tournament at the Reggie Masuku sports grounds in Thusivillage to commemorate Youth Day last Friday.
The organisation, which mentors young boys in the township with the transition from boyhood to manhood, introduces a culture of hard work, patience and perseverance through sports, arts and culture and various youth programmes.
“Township boys do not always have good examples of father figures, so we step in, leading them through school, puberty and all challenges coming their way,” said IMBO secretary, Mr S. Shongwe.
Partnered by the Department of Social Developmen (DSD)t and various local men’s groups, the programme of the day was to keep the youth of Wesselton off the streets during the public holiday, especially in Thusivillage, which has the most cases of drug abuse, rape and crime.
A contingent joined by the community at large started off the day cleaning at the Ikusasalethu Day Care Centre and ending up at the sports ground where four local teams, namely Ethembeni FC, Wits FC, Marikana FC and Killers FC, participated in the soccer tournament.
“We want to teach young boys the values of being great men in modern society and what better way than having them participate in a sport where they will channel all their energy rather than a life of crime. Our communities will be a better and safer place as a whole,” said event organiser, Mr Stanley Trust.
Killers Football Club was the winning team of the day, walking off with medals and soccer balls sponsored by the Department of Sports and Culture and Lekwa Construction.
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