In 2010 Safelite USA invited the winning side of Belron sprint London triathlon, the young team
from Arekopaneng Orange farm – (Mduduzi Mshibe cyclist, Tshiamo Phutagae runner
and Tebogo Shibambo the swimmer) to the USA. These young South Africans who
conquered London the year before in 2009 where once again excited to be headed
to Las Vegas USA.
It was a life
changing experience for the young people from the dusty street of Orange Farm
Gauteng South Africa. Yes they continued like champions at Las Vegas and made a
great impression in another fund raising event for Afrika Tikkun. Part of the
mission to the States was to promote our triathlon and cycling programme. We
came back with R600,000 to our cycling programme from Safelite.
At the time we
had only ten bikes that were being used by Arekopaneng youth. We needed to take
this programme to the other Centres like Alexandra Phutaditjhaba and Diepsloot
Wings of Life. So with the funds from Safelite we were able to buy and maintain
new bikes for each of the Communities as well as attend sporting events.
Since this
investment, we have not only been training hard to be better cyclists but also
started competing in local Tri and Duathlon events.
From ten youths in Orange Farm our numbers has doubled. We now have 27bikes and 77
participants in the programme. We are hoping to reach 220 participants by the
end of the 2012/2013 financial year.
We believe that
the relationship with Safelite will even became closer when they visited our
communities in 2011. The Safelite team
saw with their own eyes the impact that their contribution has made.
What they could
not see due to the shortness of the visit and due to improvements in the
programme over time is that when we attend sporting events or competitions, we
are the biggest development programme in Gauteng province, South Africa when it
comes to the sports of Duathlon and Triathlon.
The last event
we attended which was the Jo’burg Tria at Germiston, 44 participants
represented Afrika Tikkun and we again were the highest number of black people
in this sport in South Africa in one event.
Please note that
our development in this sport has also been largely due to our partnership with
Central Gauteng Triathlon (CGT) who has helped
us on many levels including entry fees. For example through our association with the
province, the Gauteng province paid 50% of the entry fee for all our
participants at the last event to the event organiser saving us a huge amount
of money.
This year we plan
to participate in 4 local events. We have already participated in two of these
events in February and April and the next one is in September.
Key Developments to Note
1.
Last Year Central Gauteng
Triathlon introduced us to Michael Moriarty the most respected developmental
coach in the country to work with our teams. For the first time in 4 years we
actually had a Tri coach. Michael experience was a breath of fresh air to me
and the team. The team started to train the way a triathelete needed to train.
It is because of the benefit of this development that we now have a pool of
athletes that we can choose from at any given time to go and participate at an
event where we get invited. We are now even confident of the team that will go
to London in September.
2.
In our
first Duathlon last year in Pretoria, the Afriman Duathlon, we attended the
competition with thirty participants. This competition was the trials for participants
for provincial selection to represent the province in Cape Town and
subsequently if successful the country in Spain in September 2011. On the bike
that Safelite bought for us Jan Ledwaba, Colleen Sompane and Eugene Baloyi
conquered the events as Jan and Collen
made the provincial team with their times, Eugene came close and won a medal. This
was all made possible by Safelite.
3.
Not only have our athletes been recognised but
the management of the team got noticed as well. I was chosen to be the (PDI) Previously
Disadvantaged Coordinator for the province in 2011. I was also selected to go and
do Level one Triathlon Coaching Course of which I did well for a first timer.
4.
In 2012 I was also officially selected by the
Gauteng Province executive committee as their developmental officer for the province.
5.
On the 5th of
February 2012, Central Gauteng Triathlon (CGT) invited 15 Afrika Tikkun
beneficiaries from Phutaditjhaba Alexandra for another community development
initiative. During this event 15 of our
youth were taught how to put a triathlon
field together and how to be marshals. They
did this in two days and got compensated by the Central Gauteng Triathlon
and Tria Organisers Company called Mayhem Sports Trading and event. The purpose
of the exercise is to empower these individual that comes to our centres every
day for food so that they can begin to take control of their lives and
destinies. Mayhem sport has promised to
continue to teach and empower our beneficiaries to make them able to do this
kind of work and get paid for it...thereby giving them a career. We believe
that this initiative has the capability to improve the sustainability of the
programme...... as they say teach a man how to fish then you have fed him for
life.
6.
In 2012 March, I was appointed
the Developmental Commissioner for the Central Gauteng Cycling. Now Afrika
Tikkun indeed plays a pivotal role in the development of these two sports that
has been a challenge to get young black athletes to participate in previously. Now,
we are having many kids coming to our centres every day who want to take part
in these sports. We have to turn them back or try to convince them to go to the
other programmes because we don’t have enough bikes.
7.
We are now with CGT developing
a beginner coaching for our experienced athletes who are now 24-28. We have now
people, who love the sport, know and enjoy it. We commenced this initiative in
order to teach these older athletes and use them to
develop young participants from 10 to 19 years old.
8.
We believe that over the last
four years, we have achieved our first task which is to get the people in our communities interested
in the sport. We have since grown the number of participants and we believe
that the next step is to use our experience to grow a much bigger programme which also targets the very
young in the communities.
9.
Without the partnership between
Safelite, Afrika Tikkun and Central Gauteng Triathlon, it would have been
impossible to have had the massive development that has taken place which has
produced athletes, coaches and management and principal players in this sport
in black communities. It is crucial to re-emphasize that all this began from a
few bikes that Safelite has bought for us and it is amazing how far we have come
...... although there is still so much to be done.
10. Happy
Sizane at training Ellis Park: On the 1st
April 2012 at Germiston, the young Happy Sizane from Inner City Hillbrow Centre
took his space amongst 50-60 swimmers all of them white. Afrika Tikkun again
demonstrated its leadership in giving
black disadvantaged youths a chance to become something in life. He did not
finish the 750M swim, he did 100-120m. Please however note that Happy practised
in a 1200m pool. We know that with more
training and exposure, he will be able to complete a 750M competition. We have
now taken his training to another level. We now want him to commence
training on open water. Sue, Michael and
Derrick from CGT are happy to work with him on the weekends to achieve this. So
come September we are hoping to take a fully-fledged open water swimmer to the
Jo’burg Tria. I must say that I was standing next to some spectators looking at
Happy as he commenced the biggest race of his life, someone from the crowd was
asking: who is that black kid representing Afrika Tikkun and Central
Gauteng? Even though I didn’t say
anything in response, I made a mental note that people are recognising the
empowerment that is taking place.
Our Needs
We
would really appreciate if we can be blessed with 40 additional bikes: 20 top advanced level bikes and 20 entry level
bikes. Our dream is to put together a team of 100 strong cyclists. In our
opinion this will be milestone in the history of this sport in the country. We
definitely are pioneers in this sport in the country
2012 Safelite Las Vegas Participants
Tshepo Serumula: runner
Tshepo is a
youth intern in the computer centre programme at Arekopaneng Orange Farm. He is also a JAG
running programme assistant coach. Tshepo is a hardworking and intelligent young man,
articulate and good leader, very reliable.
He raised R3500
for the trip to Las Vegas
Thembinkosi Nxumalo
Cyclist
Thembinkosi Nxumalo is a sports intern at Wings of life Diepsloot. He is a calm
and very good soccer coach for the Wings of Life, won the two tournaments in
2011 and won the American school tournament already in 2012. He is a qualified
soccer referee under (SAFA) South African football association. This young boy
has an amazing talent.
Abongile
Mvunyiswa
Swimmer Abongile
Mvunyiswa is the younger of the two and is a bit shy. He is the sport intern and an assistant journalist
at Phutaditjaba Alexandra Centre. He is hardworking , very polite and great with children. I would like to believe
that the training with Sue Penrose our volunteer swimming coach has done
wonders for Abo’s confidence. He trains
very hard cycling to Ellis Park,
Sydenham and back three times a week. I’m not expecting him to finish a cycling race
yet but I’m positive that he is in the right direction when it comes to the
development of his swimming abilities.
We now have
between 8 to 16 swimmers swimming two times a week with a coach. These
determined young people also practise
their swimming on other days within the days even without the help of a coach.
I would like to
conclude by sending out my sincere thanks to the CEO of Safelite Mr Tom and Mr Matt Weger and his team.
THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE FOR US.
The
developments we have witnessed in the last couple of years is a testimony to
the fact that SAFELITE YOU ARE CHANGING
LIVES.
Go Michael. You're a legend! The team at Afrika Tikkun are right behind you :)
