The reason for the Chiefs players visiting the Insurance Giant who work in conjunction with the club on Chiefs Financial Services Products, were there to hand over and meet with a group of kids from the Soweto Kliptown Youth Centre. The under-15 team from the centre has over the years been looked after by the Hollard Insurance Partners division as part of their corporate social responsibility programme.

The players and staff of Hollard were treated to a gum boot dance and a number of other dance routines performed, by kids who form part of the centre’s arts and culture group with Siphiwe Tshabalala joining in on the gum boot routine. Once the kids had entertained the crowd it was the turn of the Chiefs players to hand over some words of inspiration to the youngsters. First up Rotson Kilambe took the microphone and added “when I see all of you youngsters it really warms my heart, as it pleases me to see young people participating in sporting and other recreational activities. My advice to you is to work hard at what you doing and stay away from drugs, and anything or any one who will be a bad influence in your life”.

Next up was Siphiwe Tshabalala, the midfielder known for his dazzling array of tricks on the field of play, was in an inspirational mood adding “just like you I grew up playing my soccer on the streets of Soweto. I had a dream and that was to one day play for Chiefs the best loved team in the country, as well as for Bafana Bafana and today I am grateful that I am living that dream. The only way that I have been able to achieve my dream is with a lot of prayer, hard work, honesty and motivating myself to be the best my advice to all of you is go out and make your dreams work for you”.

Maree Williams of Hollard Insurance Partners was grateful for the support shown to her group’s project by The Amakhosi as she said, “we have in the past handed out equipment to the youngsters from the centre. Never before I had seen them this excited, they were happier to meet the Chiefs players and I think that they forgot they were here to collect a new set of kit. From our side we are thankful to Chiefs for sending the players to visit us, seeing the smiles and the happy faces made this entire event and the whole day worth the while”. Lesiba Sithole internal communications manager for Hollard expressed similar sentiments as Maree when he said “Chiefs appearance today really brought a lot of joy to these youngsters, this visit by the guys will to strengthen the bond between Chiefs and Hollard”.