Plett teen receives Rondebosch rugby bursary
A talented Plettenberg Bay teenager has left his home in Qolweni Informal Settlement for the tree-lined streets of Rondebosch on an all-inclusive rugby bursary to one of SA’s most prestigious schools.
Bulelani Mbala, also known as the gentle beast, said he was settling in quite well at Rondebosch Boys’ High School with the support of his peers.
“Getting this bursary was a blessing,” Mbala said.
“It proved my coach’s words to me that hard work does pay off.
“I am ready to take this opportunity with both hands and work on empowering myself for the better.”
The 16-year-old said he hoped to be an example to children from poor backgrounds to not allow their circumstances to hamper their dreams.
“This is still new to me,” he said.
“I arrived on Tuesday last week and today [Tuesday] I had to write my first maths test. “It made this so real.
“I want to unleash the beast in me; I didn’t just get selected because of rugby, I study well and I want to keep that up,” the grade 10 pupil said.
He said while academics would remain his primary focus, he would continue working towards achieving his goal of playing for the national rugby team.
Bulelani’s former coach at Hot Steppers Rugby Club, Deon Christians, together with his son Romano, were among the first to discover his rugby talent. “The first time I saw Bulelani, I thought he was older than his teammates,” Christians said.
“After finding out his age, I started recruiting him to play for our community team.”
The coach said he subsequently started spreading the word to sponsors and recruiters about the youngster’s talent.
“It was a matter of time before he received his first break.
“He went to play in the South Western Districts under15 in Qhawe week in Johannesburg, where he impressed everyone.
“Other coaches and I started taking videos of him playing, and sent it to recruiters.
“Ben Ruiters of the Kouga Rugby Academy asked for his report card and made contact with Rondebosch Boys’ High School,” Christians said.
“The school was impressed with his academic report and decided to give the boy an amazing opportunity to join them.”