Soccer ace tells of how dad abused his mom

FORMER Bafana Bafana striker Benni McCarthy broke down at a press conference in the city at the weekend when he disclosed he came from a family that had an abusive father.

He said his upbringing in Hanover Park was not easy and he was surrounded by crime, gang life, murder and abuse.

It was not easy watching his late father abuse his mother.

It could have impacted negatively on his life, yet he chose to prove to his father he was better than him. He is now a father of four girls.

McCarthy said he would be joining the fight against child abuse, and announced his support and endorsement of child rights group Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA).

McCarthy said he was proud to assist such a worthy organisation in their fight against child abuse in all its forms.

He has daughters and knows there is nothing more important than the safety of our children.

“WMACA have supported many survivors and been instrumental in improving the rights of the child in South Africa and I know the help I will give to expand this work is essential to the future of our nation’s youngsters,” he said.

Welcoming the news, WMACA’s director Vincentia Dlamini added: “I want to congratulate Benni on speaking out against child abuse and supporting our organisation.

“As WMACA enters its 20th year, the recognition and awareness needed will bring invaluable support to continue our work to rid South Africa of child abuse.

“Not just that, but having Benni willing to stand up and speak out on the subject sets an example to society that if we are going to tackle abuse, we are going to have to be willing to acknowledge its huge impact and talk about how we bring it to an end.

“Too many people and too many communities would rather stay silent, and I know that Benni’s example will help change that. In just a one year period we have assisted over 1 896 new cases of child abuse through our Kidz Clinics.” – ANA