Dinho’s mom left him when he was in grade four. From that moment on, Dinho had to learn to survive on his own.
He had grown up in the Pietermaritzburg (PMB) farmlands for most of his early life, living with his mother and grandmother. When housing problems came, however, they had to move to KwaDabeka. He never had a relationship with his biological father, and his stepfather abused his mother. In grade four, his grandmother passed away, and his stepfather went crazy, so his mother took everything, leaving her son behind.
Some men in the community would help him at times, but for the most part, Dinho had to find a way to survive without any other support. The first time he went to church was in search of food. He had no desire to ever go to church, but he believes that was the moment when the seed was planted.
He didn’t have friends in primary school, keeping to himself, not wanting anyone to get close to him. He was bitter and angry at the world and his circumstances. In high school, however, things began to change. He started making friends, but they made bad choices. They got into trouble, and although he knew what they were doing was wrong, he desired to be accepted, to be chosen. He did so poorly in school that he ended up failing grade 10. That’s when he decided things needed to change.
“I was living a double life,” Dinho said.
When taking grade 10 for the second time, he decided to start playing basketball. It was a way to keep out of trouble, release his emotions, and escape from his reality. He was introduced to God when one of his teammates invited him to go to church.
After he finished school, Dinho stopped playing basketball. He doesn’t remember the reason he stopped; he just decided one day he didn’t want to do it anymore. Years later, in 2023, Dinho walked into a store and bought a basketball. To this day, he has no idea why he ever thought to do that; he just wanted a basketball.
Soon after, he decided to create and coach a women’s basketball team. Since it’s uncommon for girls in the township to participate in sports, he wanted to create an opportunity for girls to play, to get them off the streets.
At the start of 2024, he set out to create a team, hanging flyers and creating Instagram posts to publicize tryouts. On the first day of tryouts in February, only one girl showed up. And after that, Dinho didn’t think his team would ever become a reality. But on the third day of tryouts, girls showed up, giving him enough players to create a team. Now the team has nine girls who consistently show up. As the team continues to grow, Dinho is constantly learning how to adapt and help the girls.
“Coaching teenage girls is hard. They are moody and emotional,” Dinho said.
Dinho’s main goal is to create a space that doesn’t limit where the girls can go. He supports them in their academic studies and does weekly home visits to check in on his players. He wants them to know that they can always come to him with whatever struggles they are going through.
However, it’s not always easy; the girls have their problems on and off the court. A lot of them struggle with peer pressure and fitting in. And it can be hard to work with girls who come from different backgrounds: different home lives, different beliefs, and trauma. They get into fights over silly things, but they seem to always work through it. Teen pregnancy is a big issue in the township as well. Dinho recalls one of his players getting pregnant after quitting basketball and saying to him, “What else was I to do?”
Even so, he’s noticed a change in many of his players, even in their first few months of playing on the team. And other girls are noticing it too. Dinho has already had girls from different teams ask to join his program.
“My girls are different,” Dinho said. “We do things differently.”
Dinho doesn’t do it for the glory; he knows God chose him to be an advocate for his girls. To stand up for them and care for them in ways that nobody ever has. He’s thankful for the opportunity to coach them and looks forward to seeing where they can go.
“I made a good choice,” Dinho said. “When I became their coach.”