Appeal to support a noble cause
JOBURG - A number of Alex football clubs have managed to take children off the streets but need financial support to sustain these noble programmes.
Alexandra has become known as a crime- and drug-infested township where survival is only for the fittest.
But in the midst of all the doom and gloom, there are some people who are determined to change all that – through the game of football and targeting the very young dog that can learn new tricks.
One of those in the forefront of the fight against juvenile delinquency and the rampant abuse of drugs in the township among the youth, especially the use of nyaope, is gogo Maria Cebekhulu and her partners.
Cebekhulu (62) founded Linda Stars Football Club in 2011 after an afternoon walk to a friend in her street when she noticed young boys playing soccer on the pavement while, right in front of the little ones, older boys were doing drugs.
“This struck me and I said to myself something needs to be done to take the little boys away from the influence of their older peers,” she said.
“The game they were playing and love most, also came to mind. I thought if they were playing soccer, I can use the very game to take them off the streets and away from drugs and all the other mischief abundant in our community today.”
Cebekhulu and her friend, gogo Agnes Linah Mithi (53) then formed Linda Stars. The two grannies are not alone in this fight. Bonginkosi Fakude of Alex Junior City, Robert ‘Mzekezeke’ Mafa of Blue Aces, and Thabang Mohlala of Red Roses are also using football as a catalyst to take children off the streets and away from the scourge of drugs.
But resources in the hands of these noble human beings are very limited and sometimes they have to dig deep into their frayed pockets just to ensure these kids can play a game, eat afterwards and get home to do their homework.
The common thread among all these do-gooders is a need for partners or sponsors who can help them with items such as training equipment, soccer kit and financial support to sustain the soccer clubs, and the children, through the provision of meals and transport to and from home.
“Some of these kids come from highly-impoverished backgrounds where simply putting a plate of food on the table is a mission impossible for their unemployed families who’re battling to make ends meet,” concluded Fakude.
Details: Bongani Fakude 072 581 7230; Linah Mithi 083 356 2215; Robert Mafa 076 080 0746; Thabang Mohlala 071 321 9007.
