PeacePlayers South Africa Storybook FINAL - Flipbook - Page 98
Skhumbuzo Mthembu has faced various obstacles growing up in South Africa.
Without minimising his struggles, his mom has had to endure a bit more to
make way for Skhumbuzo and his siblings to live freely and pursue their goals.
Skhumbuzo has ugly memories of his dad's impact in his life and his abusive
treatment toward his sister and mom. In January 2000, his mom finally
decided to wait for Skhumbuzo's dad to leave for work, taking the kids away
for good. She hired a truck, and they moved all their belongings to a flat
in town. They started sleeping on the floor until they could get a mattress.
She gradually saved up enough to buy pots, pans, and television stands.
Skhumbuzo recalls that “Most times, there was no functioning elevator or
water in our flat building at the Palm Bay. So, I had to get buckets of water
downstairs in a building with no lift." Skhumbuzo didn't know that these
were simply character-building moments. The obstacles he and his mom
faced seemed progressively smaller as they began rebuilding outside his
dad's confinement. Once Skhumbuzo’s mom put him in a more conducive
environment, PeacePlayers introduced him to a game that would keep his
mind off the hardships he faced off the court.
Once Skhumbuzo picked up a basketball at Addington Primary school a
few years later, his mom saw a joy in him that she had never seen before.
Addington was one of Playing for Peace's founding schools, so the alignment
lineage is only fitting. "The best basketball players came out of Addington
Primary School and went onto Durban Boys High School," says Skhumbuzo.
Skhumbuzo's exposure to basketball started at Addington during break time
when he was in Grade 5. He saw kids having fun, scoring on the court, and
girls cheering them on, and Skhumbuzo wanted to be a part of that. He wanted
to learn and ultimately be in the center of the spotlight. Two PeacePlayers
participants, Halic Moosa and Khulekani Madlala ended up teaching him how
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PEACEPLAYERS SOUTH AFRICA STORYBOOK
