HANEKOM, AIRBNB MEETING
to matter. We also got a big lesson about being patient. The next step was making sure that Sheldon grew up a normal kid. Due to a lack of oxygen to his brain as a result of the burns, he had lost his memory and couldn’t talk or walk any more. At 2 years old, he had to start from scratch, as if he’d just been born. His physiotherapist got him to sit within two weeks and walk within five months. Over the years, he needed several operations, including one for the skin between his fingers and toes. Sheldon has a hearing aid, but he’s doing great and it was wonderful to watch him grow up.
He went to Footprints, an independent special-needs school that promotes the potential of children, and also attended Unity College, which helped
A CAPTAIN’S JOURNEY
Association (Safa), and shares his insights about the state of the sport today. He talks frankly about his family life and about surviving two heart attacks, and gives insights into leadership and success. This book will appeal to all football fans, but it is also a fascinating story of a man who has lived a truly South African life.
The book writer Ernest Landheer was born in Holland and moved to South Africa in 1997 after marrying his South African wife, Laura Joyce. Since then, he has contributed to the soccer magazine Kick Off and was the editor of Kaizer Chiefs’ Amakhosi magazine. He also worked for a few soccer publications in Holland, including Voetbal International.
He wrote the autobiography of Roger de Sa, Man of Action, which was published in 2002. He also published two books in Holland: about the former soccer player Dojo Perazic (2006) and about Brazilian soccer, God is een Braziliaan (2014). He is now the research and publishing manager at Kaizer Chiefs. bring out his personality. More recently, Sheldon went to Living Link, a postschool college for adults with disabilities that helps them transition from school to the working world. Last year, he worked on a six-month programme as an office assistant at Alexander Forbes in Sandton, Johannesburg. It’s fantastic to see how independent he has become, often using the Gautrain or Uber.
When Sheldon was 14, he decided to become a goalkeeper, which was a bit crazy considering that he has limited function in his right hand. But that’s Sheldon – when he sets his mind on something, he does it. I guess that his impaired sense of balance made running difficult, so that’s probably why he loved being the one in goal at Randburg FC, the club he played for. He thoroughly enjoyed getting out on the pitch and I felt so proud when I watched him diving for a ball or plucking it out of the air. It was a joy to see, especially after everything Sheldon had gone through.
He had been a goalkeeper for about four years when he decided to follow in his dad’s footsteps and become a coach. He didn’t even tell me. He’s currently the assistant coach of the Under-13s of Randburg FC and doing fine. You’ll find him at the club on most weekdays, loving the football environment. Sheldon is very intense about his soccer. He often watches games on TV and checks up on every player, especially the ones from his favourite soccer clubs, Kaizer Chiefs and Arsenal. He loves both clubs through and through, like me. During last year’s World Cup, he often gave me information about players I didn’t even know. Sheldon isn’t a big talker, but he’s an excellent football analyst and I enjoy watching games with him, while listening to his insights.
What happened with Sheldon had an effect on everybody in the family, especially the girls, who became very protective and helped him constantly throughout his upbringing. During his hospitalisation, they weren’t allowed into the ward to visit their brother because of the risk of infection, but the SOUTH Africa’s Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom met with representatives of global online accommodation booking platform Airbnb to discuss various policy issues, in particular, the regulation of short-term home rentals, the department said yesterday. nurses sometimes raised the blinds so the girls could at least see him through the window. It obviously wasn’t always easy for Bianca and Jessica, but they were phenomenal. Of course, nobody was more affected by what happened than Sheldon himself, but he’s a brave boy who grew into an easy-going kid with an unbelievable character, and he will never ask for anything. Whenever I go through a difficult time, I think about my son and what a ray of sunshine he is to everybody around him. People who meet him are always won over by his smile. We are so proud of him.
This is an extract from A Captain’s Journey by Neil Tovey, published by Penguin at a recommended retail price of R230.