Pretoria – Growing up in Mamelodi, east of Tshwane, following the untimely demise of his father and icon was a tough experience for Pretoria businessman, activist and philanthropist Bongani Skosana.
Now in his late 30s, Skosana prides himself as a father and friend to his children, a husband and a successful businessman with interests across different sectors of the economy.
But for Skosana, it is the ethos of “ubuntu” which he experienced while growing up under the care of his mother, supported by a whole community, spurred him to establish a non-profit organization, the Dlalisa Moyeni Foundation which among other initiatives identifies boys who do not have father figures in their lives and takes them through mentorship programmes.
Some of the nearly 70 boys under the Dlalisa Moyeni Foundation’s mentorship have taken keen interest in soccer, got assimilated into the Rockefvs Football Club founded by celebrated football legends Thokozani and Themba Mnguni who both donned Tshwane’s favourite club Mamelodi Sundowns soccer jersey in their days.
Subsequently, Skosana’s Dlalisa Moyeni Foundation has taken up as headline sponsor for Rockefvs in support of the young boys’ football careers as part of the mentorship programme.
Last week, Skosana was flanked by the team’s management as he handed over a new soccer kit for the Rockefvs Football Club, which is a member of the Football Association Pretoria.
“My involvement with the boys, I grew up without a father and I know the challenges that come with growing up without a father. I set up with foundation in honour of my father, his name was Dlalisa Moyeni. I experienced it in my life, that it takes a whole community to raise a child. At the Foundation, we mentor young boys by giving them life skills. We share a journey with them from Grade 10. We are working with different schools,” Skosana told IOL.
“We have a pre-set criteria for a learner to be admitted into our academy. The schools identify boys who do not have present fathers in their lives, and once they come into our programme, we develop a holistic process. We help them with their studies, that is study methods; life skills and mentoring them to ensure they make the right decisions as they grow.
“When the boys go to university, it is not possible to meet with them on a regular basis but we still maintain contact with the hope that once they finish and start working, they would also plough back, as they were brought up,” said Skosana.
A new intake of learners enrolled into the care of Dlalisa Moyeni Foundation’s care has this year brought the figure to 67.
A former player himself, Skosana believes football provides the necessary skills and mental aptitude which arms a young man for the demands of life, school and financial literacy if they are to succeed in their football careers.
“Rockefvs is a team at the grassroots level and it is run by the former football players Themba and Thokozani. I played with Thokozani, we come from the same township and we had been talking about working together and we later agreed to have a partnership where we look after these boys in terms of soccer and life skills,” said Skosana.
Interim CEO of Rockefvs, Lebogang Ramodike, said the sponsorship deal with Dlalisa Moyeni Foundation has boosted morale among the young players.
“The sponsorship will contribute towards morale building of the young players, because identity is very important in football,” he said.
“The sponsorship from Dlalisa Moyeni Foundation will provide sports equipment, apperal, match logistics, soft skills development programmes and also help with paying wages for coaches, administrators and youth volunteers.”
Ramodike encouraged other corporate entities to play an active role in supporting the Rockefvs Grassroots Diski Mentorship Programme “so that we can reach aspirant footballers residing in marginalised communities”.
IOL