THEY didn’t have a sports field in their school, nor did they have the kit to play with. All of them come from poor family backgrounds and the school in the local community was declared by a no fee school by the government. Yet despite all the odds stacked against them; this dedicated team of young boys is now representing South Africa at the DANONE under 12 soccer World Cup in Pretoria.
The DANAONE Nations Cup was established 11 years ago. It was a vision from the current chief executive Franck Riboud; who believed in developing children through sports and creating values for children from across the different cultures. He thought a mini World Cup would be a sufficient platform for children to learn more about themselves and other cultural backgrounds. After its inception in 1999 the tournament grew and today 40 countries participate and the young players get the opportunity to meet soccer heroes such as Zinandine Zidane and Neil Tovey.
Sinenzuzo Primary is located in Hammersdale outside Durban in a remote village called Mlaba Village. The people of the village are friendly but the are is represents the social dynamics that one has been accustomed to in South Africa.
The road to qualifying for the Nations Cup is long and rigorous which requires a high degree of discipline and hard work. Makhotso Fako, the brand manager of DANONE South Africa says the boys had to compete with other schools in Durban and around KwaZulu-Natal. After winning their provincial tournaments the boys proceeded to compete with teams from other provinces where they won and are now representing the country.
Fako paid a visit to the school congratulate the young players and along with the DANONE Southern Africa team and former Bafana Bafana captain Neil Tovey, established a food garden for the school and the community. She says they decided to visit after they won and saw an opportunity to give back to give back to the disadvantaged community.
“We visited their homes and after we saw their living conditions we decided to go the extra mile and ensure that its more than just a soccer tournament but an initiative to improve the lives of talented children.”
Bafana Bafana legend and Northwood old boy, Neil Tovey attended the launch of the food garden as a DANONE Nations cup ambassador and role model. According to Tovey, the food garden is there to help the boys prepare for the tournament. He says they still have lots work to do in the build up to the games in Gauteng.
“We want to inspire them and assist as much as we can in tournament. We want to give them a sense of pride and the idea behind the food garden is that if we taught them how to do it themselves then they would have a sense of achievement.”
Tovey says the boys learned how to prepare a garden bed and learned about controlling the soil and how to irrigate it properly.
“The preparation of the garden is like preparing for football, they know how to nurture it and guard it which will assist them in maintaining it.”
The principle of the school, Phumelele Nxele couldn’t conceal her joy at the boys achievement.
“I feel very great, words cannot express how I feel; I’m very proud of them.”
Nxele further explains how the boys had no soccer ground to practice on and had to walk seven kilometers everyday to practice on another schools grounds.
“Our school is one of the poorest schools in the province. We have also be defined as a no fee paying school because of the conditions our community live under. Just take a look around you, at least with this achievement we can bring hope to parents and children.”
She says the behavior of the boys has changed and soccer has made them more confident and disciplined. She says the other children in the school look up to them.
Ayanda Mkhize, who coaches the boys believes they have the potential to go all the way in the tournament. He says the biggest challenge with coaching such a young team is that you always have to understand their issues. The only way to get them to play their best is if they enjoy every moment on the field.
“You always have to encourage them and laugh and play with them. They have to enjoy the hard work which is quite challenging especially when it comes to fitness training. I took them to the beach on a daily basis so they could run on the sand but after that there was an incentive where we would play games and swim at the sea. The trick is to always practice playing soccer and have as much fun as possible.”
He added that the biggest motivating factor was when they met French football legend Zinedine Zidane.
“He motivated them and they had an opportunity to ask him questions about how to manage pressure and how to handle being a star.”
Mkhize says he hopes to see the boys become professional soccer players one day and that the tournament will be platform towards a brighter future.
Eleven year old Sanele Mkhize is the center midfielder, star player and captain of the team and is grateful for the opportunity. The young player supports Orlando Pirates and he hopes to wear the black and white number 10 jersey one day.
“My favorite player is Andile Jali, I like the way the ball sticks to his feet like glue on the soccer pitch. I think we will do well in Johannesburg because we listen to each other and respect each other. We have team spirit and it doesn’t matter whether we win or lose. We just want to play,” said Mkhize.
These young boys have done us proud, they are a true example of how hard work, dedication and a bit of luck can make a difference in our lives. This school is in the outskirts of KZN in a poverty stricken community. They defeated the privileged and the so called best to be where they are today. They had no league to compete in, didn’t play in any prestigious club and none of them were invited for Natal or Durban district trials; but look at where they are today.
The opening game kicks of on the 23rd of September and the final will be held on the 3rd of October at the Orlando Stadium.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Remember ladies; no one has the right to abuse you!
IMAGINE you are a five year old child watching your mother being bashed head first against the wall by your father. You want to help but you can’t, you feel helpless and you grow with that state of mind for another fifteen years. If you are a male, chances are you'll grow up thinking it's normal to beat women and if you are girl, chances are you'll think it is normal to endure abuse in a relationship.
Women's month is upon us, yet we still experience cases of domestic violence and women abuse in our homes. We hear stories of husbands and boyfriends killing their wives and children growing up in abusive households. A tragic incident preceding women's month occurred in Glenwood where a woman was allegedly strangled by her boyfriend shortly after she had ended her relationship with him. Her boyfriend was released on R1500 bail and is attending trial at the Durban magistrate court.
In another incident, a man killed his six month old baby, attacked his 13 year old and bludgeoned his wife with a hammer and strangled her before commiting suicide. People who know the man say he was depressed and unemployed. His wife and 13 year old survived the ordeal but six month old Naledi was not so lucky, she died at the scene.
Many children grow up in single parent households where women have to play both the role of mother and father; coupled with the pressure to provide for their families and ensure that their children get a good education. Many children are also raised in dysfunctional two parent households where mothers are subject to violence and other acts of emotional and physical trauma. Kimber Adams (not her real name), grew up in such an environment and she shares her experience:
“Growing up in abusive relationship can be very damaging emotionally and psychologically. It is a cross that I will always carry as woman, I can forgive my farther for what he did to my mother but I will never forget. Talking from my mothers experience I think it is a pattern which most women don't notice. I fell into the same trap with my ex-boyfriend who was exactly like my father, thank goodness I realised before it was too late and I left him. My mother stayed in an abusive relationship because of security reasons and I appreciate her for that but I still feel that she didn't have to.
We all encounter hardships in relationships but no one has the right to abuse you. Women need to realise this and know that there are places of safety where they can go and get the help they need. I believe that God never puts you in a situation you cannot handle, we just have to learn to trust ourselves and be strong,” she said.
Adams says she has now found another boyfriend who respects her as woman and as a person. She says although the trauma of her childhood experiences still haunt her she has dealt with the issue by being positive and trusting herself. There are many women like Amber in our society who have endured abuse and keeping silent doesn't solve the problem.
Women in most sections of our society are still subservient to men; in the workplace at home and even on the social scene and this subservience has seen an increase in trends relating to domestic violence. Makhosazane Nxumalo who heads the Commission for Gender equality in KwaZulu Natal says violence against women in South Africa has become so bad that it is no longer a matter of “if” a woman will get beaten or raped but a matter of “when”.
“Violence against women has spread into the younger fragments of society. The principles of ubuntu are decaying and it is mostly the younger generation who commit these acts. If people break into a house where there is women, the first thing that they'll do is rape or even murder before stealing.”
She says most cases involving domestic violence are created by financial and emotional dependence and the psychological need to have a man, which is driven by poor self esteem and societal oppression. She says women abuse is not limited to any class aspect in our society. “Women professionals and women in rural areas are subject to abuse, it affects all classes, and people hide it because they don't want to lose their homes.”
There are also issues of women reporting domestic violence and not being able to go back to their families, Nxulamo says this has resulted in a backlog of shelters and services that deal with women abuse. “The numbers of shelters are very limited and we need to establish more resources where people can go if they are abused.”
The effect of domestic violence on school children is also a cause for concern. Nxumalo believes that some children do not perform properly at school because of the abusive environment they subjected to at home. Bullying at school can be attributed to domestic violence because the child thinks that in order to gain respect; he has to do what his farther does to his mother at home and there are not enough services to deal with these issues in our schools. Children in abusive relationships need counseling and the biggest problem is that they don't know where to go and who to talk to.
She says the signs to spot a prospective abusive relationship are difficult because men approach women in a sweet way at the beginning. However, one can spot an abuser by their actions and personality.
“Control is usually the first sign, especially when a man wants to know where you all the time and tells you what to wear. Some men also want their partners to depend on them and arguments about these issues can escalate to violence.”
There are various organisations that women can go to if they are in an abusive relationship such as People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA), Commission for Gender Equality and the KZN Network on Violence Against Women. All these organisations offer support and advice on abusive relationships and domestic violence. Women must understand that they are not alone and help is available.
People Against Women Abuse (POWA): 083 765 1235
Commission for Gender equality (CGE): 031 305 2105
KwaZulu natal Network on Violence Against Women: (031) 261 3471
Women's month is upon us, yet we still experience cases of domestic violence and women abuse in our homes. We hear stories of husbands and boyfriends killing their wives and children growing up in abusive households. A tragic incident preceding women's month occurred in Glenwood where a woman was allegedly strangled by her boyfriend shortly after she had ended her relationship with him. Her boyfriend was released on R1500 bail and is attending trial at the Durban magistrate court.
In another incident, a man killed his six month old baby, attacked his 13 year old and bludgeoned his wife with a hammer and strangled her before commiting suicide. People who know the man say he was depressed and unemployed. His wife and 13 year old survived the ordeal but six month old Naledi was not so lucky, she died at the scene.
Many children grow up in single parent households where women have to play both the role of mother and father; coupled with the pressure to provide for their families and ensure that their children get a good education. Many children are also raised in dysfunctional two parent households where mothers are subject to violence and other acts of emotional and physical trauma. Kimber Adams (not her real name), grew up in such an environment and she shares her experience:
“Growing up in abusive relationship can be very damaging emotionally and psychologically. It is a cross that I will always carry as woman, I can forgive my farther for what he did to my mother but I will never forget. Talking from my mothers experience I think it is a pattern which most women don't notice. I fell into the same trap with my ex-boyfriend who was exactly like my father, thank goodness I realised before it was too late and I left him. My mother stayed in an abusive relationship because of security reasons and I appreciate her for that but I still feel that she didn't have to.
We all encounter hardships in relationships but no one has the right to abuse you. Women need to realise this and know that there are places of safety where they can go and get the help they need. I believe that God never puts you in a situation you cannot handle, we just have to learn to trust ourselves and be strong,” she said.
Adams says she has now found another boyfriend who respects her as woman and as a person. She says although the trauma of her childhood experiences still haunt her she has dealt with the issue by being positive and trusting herself. There are many women like Amber in our society who have endured abuse and keeping silent doesn't solve the problem.
Women in most sections of our society are still subservient to men; in the workplace at home and even on the social scene and this subservience has seen an increase in trends relating to domestic violence. Makhosazane Nxumalo who heads the Commission for Gender equality in KwaZulu Natal says violence against women in South Africa has become so bad that it is no longer a matter of “if” a woman will get beaten or raped but a matter of “when”.
“Violence against women has spread into the younger fragments of society. The principles of ubuntu are decaying and it is mostly the younger generation who commit these acts. If people break into a house where there is women, the first thing that they'll do is rape or even murder before stealing.”
She says most cases involving domestic violence are created by financial and emotional dependence and the psychological need to have a man, which is driven by poor self esteem and societal oppression. She says women abuse is not limited to any class aspect in our society. “Women professionals and women in rural areas are subject to abuse, it affects all classes, and people hide it because they don't want to lose their homes.”
There are also issues of women reporting domestic violence and not being able to go back to their families, Nxulamo says this has resulted in a backlog of shelters and services that deal with women abuse. “The numbers of shelters are very limited and we need to establish more resources where people can go if they are abused.”
The effect of domestic violence on school children is also a cause for concern. Nxumalo believes that some children do not perform properly at school because of the abusive environment they subjected to at home. Bullying at school can be attributed to domestic violence because the child thinks that in order to gain respect; he has to do what his farther does to his mother at home and there are not enough services to deal with these issues in our schools. Children in abusive relationships need counseling and the biggest problem is that they don't know where to go and who to talk to.
She says the signs to spot a prospective abusive relationship are difficult because men approach women in a sweet way at the beginning. However, one can spot an abuser by their actions and personality.
“Control is usually the first sign, especially when a man wants to know where you all the time and tells you what to wear. Some men also want their partners to depend on them and arguments about these issues can escalate to violence.”
There are various organisations that women can go to if they are in an abusive relationship such as People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA), Commission for Gender Equality and the KZN Network on Violence Against Women. All these organisations offer support and advice on abusive relationships and domestic violence. Women must understand that they are not alone and help is available.
People Against Women Abuse (POWA): 083 765 1235
Commission for Gender equality (CGE): 031 305 2105
KwaZulu natal Network on Violence Against Women: (031) 261 3471
The Drug Despair in Durban
MANY DURBAN youths continue to fall into despair as a heroin wave sweeps across communities, devastating the lives of families and the future of their children.
In some areas it’s sugars and in others it is whoonga, but these drugs share dangerous common characteristics. Their main ingredient is heroin and dealers enhance this with ARV’s and rat poison. Durban communities which have been affected by this pandemic include; KwaMashu, Chatsworth, KwaDabeka, Claremont, Marian hill, Chesterville, Ntuzuma and Inanda. It is also prevalent in the Durban CBD and the Berea area.
Addicts risk their lives to get their hands on anything that can be sold to get a fix. They steal anything – from copper cables and clothes from their neighbour’s washing lines to their mother’s kettle and food in the fridge. Others quit their jobs or get fired from work because they feel they have to smoke.
The drug busts which took place last week will not fix the problem because the authorities and parents seem to overlook the power of addiction.
In a discussion with Sam Pillay, the chairperson of the Anti Drug Forum in Chatsworth, several issues regarding the effects of the drug were raised. One centered on the need to tackle addiction itself instead of just its consequences.. Pillay says the parents of addicted children sometimes press charges against them in the hope of getting them off the drug. Likewise, authorities arrest young offenders who steal or engage in prostitution in order to buy “a fix”.
Pillay argues that community vigilantism doesn’t work because it doesn’t deal with the root causes of addiction. An incident in Mount Moriah is cited, where four whoonga addicts were rounded up by an angry community mob and beaten half to death with shamboks, sticks, bricks, belts and any thing else that could inflict damage on the human body. The police had to break up the mob with the threat of pepper spray. They threw the young boys into the back of a police van and escorted them back home. People in Mount Moriah called it community justice.
He says that in most instances, the Department of health, police, parents and teachers are not equipped to deal with these issues.
The entry level of drug addiction is getting lower and the moral fibre of society is disintegrating. This is corroborated by figures indicating that there is a high level of child prostitution, associated with the drug, in Durban.
Girls, as young as 15 can be seen on the roads near the Chatsworth Youth Centre and shopping malls, selling their; bodies at night. They signal motorists to stop, desperation written all over their faces. They discard their chastity for as little as the cost of a fix – about R20 to R50. During an investigation which led to the Mercury breaking the story on the deadly whoonga in Durban townships, some of the boys told of tales where girls would offer themselves to dealers and drug pals for a few hits of the drug.
One of the young addicted prostitutes said the pain of withdrawal from drugs was unbearable and that she had to smoke at all costs.
“We started smoking after school with some of the boys in my class. I realized once I was hooked that there was no turning back, it is really painful. I just want to smoke so I can feel normal and happy again. I started selling my body when I couldn’t get money from the drugs.”
If Durban is to overcome substance abuse, then it must strike at the root cause - addiction.
There is medication which can suppress the urge to smoke - such as Subutex. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Subutex is a long-acting opiate primarily used to treat narcotic (opioid) dependence. It is sold as a pill that dissolves under the tongue. Its purpose is to prevent withdrawal symptoms.
The pill stimulates the opiate receptors in the brain and has a greater attraction to the opiate receptors than other drugs, such as heroin and methadone, resulting in a drastic reduction of the desire to take drugs. However, the downside is that it also causes dependence and has also become available on the black market.
Ironically, Sam Pillay said, some of the dealers were selling both Subutex on and heroin. If the addict ends up becoming addicted to the cure, which causes another problem.
Another drug available for sugars and whoonga addicts is Naltrexon. It is similar to Subutex, but is more effective, according to Pillay. It shuts down the urge completely. The tablet is important because it tackles the root causes of drug abuse. Pillay adds that once addiction had been overcome therapists can start psychological evaluation, goal setting and reintegrating addicts into society.
“It is all in the mind and we need to show addicts that they can lead normal lives. We have to show them that they can’t go back to the lives they were living before. They can’t expect to change if they are still going to hang around at the same places and be friends with the same people; they have to be ready to change.”
Although it is not enough to rid the effects of a drugs with another drug, more emphasis should be put into equipping teachers with the tools to fight addiction in the schools. since most drug addicts are school children and drop outs. A start would be to include substance abuse in the curriculum when students study towards a teaching qualification. This would enable them to understand that addiction is not just a dependence on a chemical substance, but it is a dependence which has manifested into a lifestyle.
In a socio economic perspective, drugs in Durban are more readily available in poorer areas of society where the youth don’t have access to recreational activities. Children just don’t have much to do, they go to schools where sports and extra mural activities are not taken seriously as private or semi-private schools. Pupils who participate in extramural activities such as sports, debating, drama, the arts and spiritual upliftment programmes are less likely to fall victim to substance abuse than pupils who go to school and come back home to hang around on the streets or in corners and drug dens.
Sam Pillay says there are former addicts who kicked the habbit thanks to Naltrexon and spiritual change. He said once they had seen that there is more to life than drugs they change for the better and play a more positive role in society. However, the only addicts with a higher success rate were the ones on Naltrexon and expressed an eagerness to quit and change their lifestyle.
Durban residents need to make a stand and fight back against this deadly drug. They need to understand that addiction leads to actions that people wouldn’t normally do in a sober state of mind. It is simple, if we get rid of the addiction, and change the lifestyle of school children in our underprivileged communities, we will get rid if the crime and the drug abuse that is associated with it.
In some areas it’s sugars and in others it is whoonga, but these drugs share dangerous common characteristics. Their main ingredient is heroin and dealers enhance this with ARV’s and rat poison. Durban communities which have been affected by this pandemic include; KwaMashu, Chatsworth, KwaDabeka, Claremont, Marian hill, Chesterville, Ntuzuma and Inanda. It is also prevalent in the Durban CBD and the Berea area.
Addicts risk their lives to get their hands on anything that can be sold to get a fix. They steal anything – from copper cables and clothes from their neighbour’s washing lines to their mother’s kettle and food in the fridge. Others quit their jobs or get fired from work because they feel they have to smoke.
The drug busts which took place last week will not fix the problem because the authorities and parents seem to overlook the power of addiction.
In a discussion with Sam Pillay, the chairperson of the Anti Drug Forum in Chatsworth, several issues regarding the effects of the drug were raised. One centered on the need to tackle addiction itself instead of just its consequences.. Pillay says the parents of addicted children sometimes press charges against them in the hope of getting them off the drug. Likewise, authorities arrest young offenders who steal or engage in prostitution in order to buy “a fix”.
Pillay argues that community vigilantism doesn’t work because it doesn’t deal with the root causes of addiction. An incident in Mount Moriah is cited, where four whoonga addicts were rounded up by an angry community mob and beaten half to death with shamboks, sticks, bricks, belts and any thing else that could inflict damage on the human body. The police had to break up the mob with the threat of pepper spray. They threw the young boys into the back of a police van and escorted them back home. People in Mount Moriah called it community justice.
He says that in most instances, the Department of health, police, parents and teachers are not equipped to deal with these issues.
The entry level of drug addiction is getting lower and the moral fibre of society is disintegrating. This is corroborated by figures indicating that there is a high level of child prostitution, associated with the drug, in Durban.
Girls, as young as 15 can be seen on the roads near the Chatsworth Youth Centre and shopping malls, selling their; bodies at night. They signal motorists to stop, desperation written all over their faces. They discard their chastity for as little as the cost of a fix – about R20 to R50. During an investigation which led to the Mercury breaking the story on the deadly whoonga in Durban townships, some of the boys told of tales where girls would offer themselves to dealers and drug pals for a few hits of the drug.
One of the young addicted prostitutes said the pain of withdrawal from drugs was unbearable and that she had to smoke at all costs.
“We started smoking after school with some of the boys in my class. I realized once I was hooked that there was no turning back, it is really painful. I just want to smoke so I can feel normal and happy again. I started selling my body when I couldn’t get money from the drugs.”
If Durban is to overcome substance abuse, then it must strike at the root cause - addiction.
There is medication which can suppress the urge to smoke - such as Subutex. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Subutex is a long-acting opiate primarily used to treat narcotic (opioid) dependence. It is sold as a pill that dissolves under the tongue. Its purpose is to prevent withdrawal symptoms.
The pill stimulates the opiate receptors in the brain and has a greater attraction to the opiate receptors than other drugs, such as heroin and methadone, resulting in a drastic reduction of the desire to take drugs. However, the downside is that it also causes dependence and has also become available on the black market.
Ironically, Sam Pillay said, some of the dealers were selling both Subutex on and heroin. If the addict ends up becoming addicted to the cure, which causes another problem.
Another drug available for sugars and whoonga addicts is Naltrexon. It is similar to Subutex, but is more effective, according to Pillay. It shuts down the urge completely. The tablet is important because it tackles the root causes of drug abuse. Pillay adds that once addiction had been overcome therapists can start psychological evaluation, goal setting and reintegrating addicts into society.
“It is all in the mind and we need to show addicts that they can lead normal lives. We have to show them that they can’t go back to the lives they were living before. They can’t expect to change if they are still going to hang around at the same places and be friends with the same people; they have to be ready to change.”
Although it is not enough to rid the effects of a drugs with another drug, more emphasis should be put into equipping teachers with the tools to fight addiction in the schools. since most drug addicts are school children and drop outs. A start would be to include substance abuse in the curriculum when students study towards a teaching qualification. This would enable them to understand that addiction is not just a dependence on a chemical substance, but it is a dependence which has manifested into a lifestyle.
In a socio economic perspective, drugs in Durban are more readily available in poorer areas of society where the youth don’t have access to recreational activities. Children just don’t have much to do, they go to schools where sports and extra mural activities are not taken seriously as private or semi-private schools. Pupils who participate in extramural activities such as sports, debating, drama, the arts and spiritual upliftment programmes are less likely to fall victim to substance abuse than pupils who go to school and come back home to hang around on the streets or in corners and drug dens.
Sam Pillay says there are former addicts who kicked the habbit thanks to Naltrexon and spiritual change. He said once they had seen that there is more to life than drugs they change for the better and play a more positive role in society. However, the only addicts with a higher success rate were the ones on Naltrexon and expressed an eagerness to quit and change their lifestyle.
Durban residents need to make a stand and fight back against this deadly drug. They need to understand that addiction leads to actions that people wouldn’t normally do in a sober state of mind. It is simple, if we get rid of the addiction, and change the lifestyle of school children in our underprivileged communities, we will get rid if the crime and the drug abuse that is associated with it.
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