Residents use soccer to fight crime

WHILE the Fifa World Cup is in full swing, a local soccer club is using soccer to fight crime in their village in Keiskammahoek.

The Rabula Manchester Football Club in Lower Rabula village wrote a letter to Eastern Cape Premier Phumulo Masualle in March complaining about a lack of sports facilities in the area.

Yesterday, Masualle and members from the Al-Imdaad Foundation handed over sport equipment, including posts and nets – and 200 blankets for the elderly – at Sonwabile Primary School.

Team leader Thabisa Magqaza described their situation as horrible. For 15 years, both soccer and netball teams had to rely on borrowing kits from other teams during local tournaments.

As a result, this discouraged many young people from participating in sport.

“We did not have proper kits and that was discouraging the players. Our area is still one of the worst, under-developed rural villages. We do not even have halls and playing fields so at least the premier has seen the situation so he will be able to intervene.”

Magqaza said the area has a large number of high school drop-outs. However, sport had played a huge role in mobilising the community. They formed the netball team with just eight girls in 2010, and now have 24 active members.

“Girls in this area are also into heavy drinking. We decided to form this netball club because even the young girls are involved in this destructive behaviour. They have nothing to do on weekends besides get drunk at the taverns.”

Team coach Sixolile Ntehe said they were still without a soccer field, which made it difficult for players to practice.

“We do not even have a field and we depended on our parents for financial assistance. Old people are being killed and raped, so last year we realised that our team could not fight crime alone and we asked our community leaders to get involved,” he said.

Residents also had the opportunity to lay their grievances to Masuale. Community leader Nosiseko Gayika said the schools in the area were crumbling.

“These schools were built by our parents, some teachers and pupils have left because of the condition of the roads that lead to our schools.”

Residents also established a community police forum after they saw a spike in lawlessness.

Masualle said his office would look at the community’s service grievances.

Asked about progress on his intervention from the service delivery protest that left Keiskammahoek in chaos in March, Masualle said: “We are working on those matters. Even yesterday we had a meeting that included all departments. It is work in progress and the community is also taken along in respect of what is taking place.”