This week’s unsung hero is a soccer coach from uMlazi who uses his money to ensure that children are kept off the streets and have their stomachs filled
Durban - Mthokozisi Hadebe from uMlazi, Durban, has not allowed his disability to deter him from pursuing his dream of becoming a soccer coach, while also improving the lives of children from his township.
Hadebe, 30, whose life has been affected by polio, chose sport after multiple attempts in the academic world failed.
“I was born with arms and hands that are abnormal. This almost made my academic career non-existent because I spent most of my time looking for schools that would accommodate my disability. I eventually found one and studied up until the tenth grade, before dropping out and pursuing soccer full time,” Hadebe said.
“I have always wanted to play professionally. That vision was coupled with my dream of seeing the betterment of the lives of the children of uMlazi,” he said.
In 2021, Hadebe, an orphan, received his first soccer ball from his sister on his birthday and later attracted the attention of his peers and neighbouring children. He went on to establish the Black Cat Football Club, naming it after his nickname ‘Kati’, a name given to him by his aunt.
"They saw me play and encouraged me to open a football club. The idea of the club is to not only have players who play, but to keep them off the streets by giving them something to do every day when they return from school.
“This way, they won't have the opportunity to engage in any criminal activity because they will be constantly occupied. It is to also give them a platform to grow their budding soccer careers, and be noticed by the major teams in the country,” he said. The club is largely made up of players who hail from poor backgrounds. This has forced Hadebe to dip into his own pocket to meet their needs.
“I used my disability grant to set up the team, buy soccer kits and equipment and cover the cost of transport whenever they have a match. A majority of them come from homes with little-to-no income, so I am also tasked with ensuring that they have food in their stomachs and pocket money.
I buy things like Morvite and bread for them to eat. “Although this often results in me not being able to contribute at home because there is hardly ever any money left over, it is something very fulfilling for me to do, and my family of five has come to understand that,” he said. Hadebe trains seven different divisions, from nine to 23 years of age.
The players come from different sections of uMlazi such as G, W, N, R, M and H. Training is undertaken in the afternoons, every day. He said that his teams have played in various tournaments in the uMlazi district and wishes to take them a notch further to compete in bigger tournaments. He said that an additional challenge they faced was that of poor quality training grounds, made up of gravel.
The venue was made possible through the assistance of a local businessman who used an earth-moving machine to open the space for them. Hadebe said that he has witnessed plenty of improvements in his players since joining his club, ranging from the way they play to their demeanour.
Hadebe added that he wished a sponsor would avail themselves so that he would be able to acquire additional training kits for his club, school shoes, uniforms, food items and a proper training ground. He added that as far as he was concerned, his plea for funding was often ignored due to his disability, and that disabled persons were generally not taken seriously.
Meanwhile, Siphosenkosi Mntungwa, 23, an assistant coach, echoed Hadebe’s wishes of getting sponsorship for the team. “I have been working alongside Hadebe since he established the club. I have a knack for soccer, and I am mesmerised by his work ethic, despite his physical challenges. He continuously strives to make the lives of the players better and does not allow his disability to deter him from his goals,” he said.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE