DURBAN - Children from rural areas need to be given an equal opportunity in different sports as this could impact positively on their lives.
This is the view of SA women’s hockey vice-captain and goalkeeper Phumelela Mbande, who has just returned from the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Mbande, from Pietermaritzburg, has made an undertaking to help grow the sport in developing communities as she believes that it could lift them from poverty and open many doors.
“I started playing hockey from primary school and over the years have travelled immensely representing my country. Hockey has taken me through varsity and I have no student debt in my name. I would like other kids to have a similar experience,” said the Mthatha-born athlete.
Video: Doctor Ngcobo/African News Agency(ANA)
She described her appearance at the Olympics as one of the highlights of her life - she has also represented South Africa in the Commonwealth Games and the World Cup. “That moment of entering the stadium, carrying the South African flag, was an emotional moment for me,” she told The Mercury.
Video: Doctor Ngcobo/African News Agency(ANA)
Mbande has encouraged girls from townships and rural areas to participate in the various sporting codes offered at their schools. “Aside from just being a health issue, sport carries that potential to change one’s life, and who is to say that a girl from the rural areas or township can’t get there? I am living proof that it can happen,” she said.
Video: Doctor Ngcobo/African News Agency(ANA)
THE MERCURY