PeacePlayers South Africa Storybook FINAL - Flipbook - Page 60
When you hit a certain stage in life, you realise how rare it is to have
genuine, childhood friends remain with you. Someone you grew up with,
having your back every step of the way. You cherish those people because
they understand why you interact with the world the way you do. That’s
the case for two friends from Molweni, a rural area west of Durban.
Sanele Zondi and Sifiso Mthembu have been like two peas in a pod since
they first met at KwaDinabakubo basketball courts. They both took an
interest in basketball but the team would not let them join until they
proved themselves.
As Primary School kids, Sifiso enjoyed playing soccer in his free time,
while Sanele enjoyed a few games of volleyball. Sanele remembers
basketball for having “too many rules”, and too difficult in comparison to
volleyball. If you were to ask them who their favourite basketball player
was when they entered high school, they wouldn’t be able to name one
player, let alone know what the National Basketball Association (NBA
was. Fast forward to today, Sifiso & Sanele can name every single NBA
team, and they don’t go a day without thinking about the game that has
connected and inspired them.
Sanele joined PeacePlayers in 2005 and Sifiso joined shortly after in 2006,
both as participants at Kwadinabakubo High School. Sizwile Ximba and
Nduduzi Malembe were two coaches Sifiso & Sanele remember starting
the program in Molweni early on. Once Sifiso & Sanele graduated high
school, they wanted to give back to their community in the same way
Sizwile and Nduduzi, aka Dallas, once did for them. So, they became
coaches with Playing for Peace.
Sanele and Sifiso have served in various roles since coming aboard as
coaches, seeing PeacePlayers at its worst and its best - with and without
funding. Although they share many highlights, like being a part of
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PEACEPLAYERS SOUTH AFRICA STORYBOOK
