Making the grade

Ke Yona 16 in PSL trials

Sixteen young Nedbank Ke Yona team players will be chasing their dreams in various parts of the country after they were drafted into the Absa Premiership teams for a monthlong trial on Wednesday.

Among the Nedbank squad chosen by the public, six young men from the Eastern Cape will have the chance to change their lives forever as they go in search of lucrative contracts.

Xolela Bonxa, 18, Camagu Kanana, 23, Axolile Kapo, 21, Asivile Tom, 23, Buyelekhaya Velelwandle, 23, and Mzikayise Williams, 23, will look to pick up as much skill as they can from some of the best players in the league.

Goalkeeper Kanana, from Dimbaza, said he was excited about going to Bidvest Wits.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for me and also for the other boys who are going to other teams,” he said.

“We have been through some gruelling tests over the last few months, but now the real work begins, and I will do my utmost to perform at my best, because I believe in myself and my abilities.”

Tom, from Mdantsane, is a striker and will spend his month at Tembisa-based Highlands Park Football Club.

He said he would use this opportunity to show the PSL what he could do.

Wells Estate’s Kapo, an attacking midfielder, will train with Maritzburg United.

“If the coach can see me working hard, my passion for the game, I know I can get that contract,” he said.

Nedbank group sponsorships head Tobie Badenhorst said the one-month stints would begin in October.

“Audrey Modiba is probably one of our biggest success stories to date, and last year Bongani Sam was scouted by Bloemfontein Celtic.

“There are about 30 Ke Yona team graduates over the last six years who are either in the PSL, National First Division or Multichoice Diski Challenge or looking to get a professional contract, and hopefully in future we can see more success stories,” Badenhorst said.