Siyamthanda accepted Christ at the boys2Men camp in 2016, where his coach had invited him to go with a group of young boys. It was at that same camp where he also decided to go back to high school and finish his metric. However, with too many financial burdens, Siyamthanda left Chibini to work at a taxi rank.
After a few years of working as a taxi driver, he decided that the lifestyle was no longer for him. He returned to Chibini during the COVID-19 Pandemic to find that his previous team no longer had a coach. Who better for the job than him?
“I wanted the team to live on,” Siyamthanda said.
Growing up, Siyamthanda didn’t know his mother, and his life was not easy. He never had enough money to purchase the proper school supplies, and without an education, he was limited in his career options.
Before coaching his current team in Chibini, he coached a professional team, but when comparing the two, Siyamthanda says nothing comes close to the team he coaches now. It’s not about soccer.
“They are my babies,” Siyamthanda said.
As a coach, he wants to prepare each of his players for life and teach them to take school seriously.
Even with all the time and energy Siyamthanda gives to the team, his boys still struggle. They don’t have the resources to get school supplies. Without school supplies, they cannot attend school; without school, they cannot obtain their certificates; and without certificates, they cannot secure a job. It’s an endless cycle that Siyamthanda wants to break.
Some days, Siyamthanda sits by the soccer field passing out chips and sweets to the children, encouraging them to go to school and continue their hard work. He just wants what’s best for them; he wants them to have what he never experienced.
Since becoming a coach, Siyamthanda has noticed a change in his players. Before joining the team, many of them were not comfortable with each other or confident in themselves. They were troublemakers, making poor decisions in their free time; one of their boys stole from houses and dropped out of school. Siyamthanda wants to teach his boys to be better, and that they can do anything they put their minds to.
Esihle, 14, is the team’s captain. He describes the team as united, but they still have their problems. They are continuing to learn to communicate with each other; however, without the proper training equipment, some days are hard for the team.
Esihle lives with his mother, aunt, sister, and brother. His father was never in the picture, but coach Siyamthanda has stepped into a father role for him. He has learned to respect other players and has been encouraged to pursue his faith.
That’s why Siyamthanda coaches.
“I do it with real love,” Siyamthanda said.
Someday, he dreams of getting a job overseas, but he knows that God chose him to be their coach, and he doesn’t take this opportunity for granted. This team is a gift from God.