SA star and family still live in a shack
Dumke needs home, not car
After sweeping the floor at the Eastern Cape Sport and Recreation Achievers Awards held in Gqeberha recently when she was named the 2021 Sports Woman of the Year and Sports Star of the Year, Lusanda Dumke asked that her prize of a brandnew VW Polo be exchanged so that she could build a house for her family instead.
Although Dumke was extremely grateful for the awards and the prize, the 26year-old Springbok star, who lives in a shack in Mdantsane, made it clear she and her family need a decent roof over their heads first, rather than a flashy car.
Her decision clearly places emphasis on the need for the country’s female athletes to earn a proper living through sport and receive the same renumeration as their male counterparts.
She has informed the sponsors, Jomo Sports, about her wish.
“In this case, I had to prioritise. Of course we need a car, but building the house for my family was the main priority,” Dumke said.
“It is not the right time for me to have a car while we are staying in a shack.
“The vehicle is muchneeded at home where I live with my 85-year-old bedridden grandmother and partly disabled 51-year-old aunt, due to a stroke that she suffered in 2016.
“But I had to get my priorities right and build a house first,” she said.
The Dumke family live at Masibambane informal settlement in Mdantsane.
Dumke was raised by her mother in a small village in Cebe in Centane.
Her father passed away 10 days before she was born and she lost her mother when she was 12 years old.
She moved to East London a year later and was introduced to rugby by her coach.
She was an ardent athlete and netball player.
But soon rugby took over and she never looked back.
She became the Border Under-16 captain in 2011 and continued to hold that role for another year before representing SA in the U18 7’s and U20 15’s team a year later.
She continued to play for the Border women’s team and was called up to the Springbok Select team in 2017 and the Springbok Women’s senior team in 2018.
The adversities in her life have not deterred her but made her stronger. There is grace and determination in the way she carries herself.
On the field she carries the ball with purpose, and is often difficult to stop with the tryline within her grasp.
Dumke has become a leader, an inspiration and a fine ambassador for the women’s game.
The Border captain also led the national team, and her star keeps growing.
She is part of the 7s team that will do duty at the Rugby World Cup 7s to be held in Cape Town from September 7-9.
She is also part of the Springbok Women 15’s team.