The Church doubles as Vutomi I Nyiko (Life is a Gift), a haven for children with multiple disabilities that Linah started in 1999. This divorced mother of two endured being rejected shortly after giving birth to a son that was diagnosed with Mytonia (weakness of muscles) in 1996. The heartless superstitious partner kicked them out of his house and life thereby starting a painful scramble for survival.

After many months of seeing doors shut before her eyes, Linah stumbled into a church and experienced the warmth of a welcoming congregation that became her family. A simple meeting between mothers whose only sin before the eyes of their once “caring and loving” partners was to birth physically challenged children resulted in the creation of Vutomi.

Blessed and anointed to care and nurse since her school days, Linah was unable to realise her dream of qualifying as a nurse after falling to the charms of a man who later turned evil simply because their second gift from GOD was born different from their first one.

Today, the 12-year-old Nsovo, Lancelot, shares her mother’s love with twenty-one other children whose mothers may have also suffered the same fate at the hands of men that invaded their lives with promises of bliss and passion. The same men turned and walked when their little bundles of joy were delivered “abnormal” miracles of GOD’s creation in the manner that HE (GOD) purposed and designed.

On Valentines Day, our bus rolled slowly into this church and out sprang sixteen healthy and highly professional men that had come to share their love with Linah, her special children and colleagues. Surely this was an unfamiliar terrain for men that are used to the cacophonic sounds of vuvuzelas, the flashing camera lights and the myriads of crowds that have become a part of their lives. Thanks to GOD, their bodies are their assets, tools that they rely on to earn and make a living from. Their careers depend entirely on the mobility and perfect conditioning of their organs, the strength of their bodily infrastructure and the generosity of a loving Kaizer Chiefs club.

Little Lehlohonolo, who turns six in March shows us his football skill and immediately draws the attention of our boys whose eyes had obviously mistyied from what they were witnessing. Hlokes is less than a meter tall and limbless but performs feats that only he and his creator can master. He amazingly lifts a football by bringing his head and shoulder in a holding move, punches into the air with his shoulder and immediately boots it into the rafters of the church. His all time hero Scara Ngobese is immediately smitten and shows him a few tricks of his own. Hlokes obliges and runs effortlessly as he dribbles, back heels and shoots with precision. According to Linah, no one dares touch Hlokes with his favourite toy; a soccer ball.

Somewhere in a corner, little Siyabonga lies flat on his tummy, and can only lift his head to scan the rumbling noise that Hlokes was creating. The only thing that this Siyabonga shares with our own is his complexion and possibly his fathers’ dream that has become permanently impossible.

Tinyiko, a cute and beautiful young girl smiles generously out of her push chair and hugs every man who comes close. This gorgeous bright-eyed face immediately attracts the attention of Gerald Sibeko, Obua and Nzama who are mesmerised by this little rose whose mobility rests in the well oiled wheels of her push cart.

These are some amongst the many that Linah and her generous crew of volunteers are looking after. Today their Valentines Day celebration was special because the Amakhosi had brought them flowers of love, hearts of true men and a tenderness of loving and caring.

As for Linah, GOD had obviously turned the misfortune of being rejected into a calling that has seen the growth of her haven. The children’s mothers are also supportive. They regularly visit the haven to bathe, feed and share tender moments with their children. They look beautiful and have resigned the fate of their precious little children to a generous GOD that chose Linah to lead this haven of hope.

To our boys, this Valentines Day outing was indeed a tearjerker, an emotional experience that shook them to realise and appreciate their fortunes. Whilst they rely on a healthy physical stature to eke a living and become celebrated icons and super heroes of their community, they learnt to appreciate what GOD had presented of their lives by endowing them with talent, skill and a form of expression that Lehlohonolo can only dream about.

The next stop was Lofentse Girls High School in Orlando East. Here the mood was totally different. A party like set up with a huge gumba welcomed us. The 1200 strong presence of girl learners had dressed in mufti to celebrate this love-filled day. It was a free spirited day with educators relaxing and allowing only what girls can do – party hard and have fun.

Indeed love was in the air as girls paraded their natural assets, from cleavages to hairstyles, to bootilicious personas that only a typical township lass can proudly display. The sound of township disco and Pantsula music provided a background that spurred our hosts into dance moves that surely could shame the famous cabaret dancers of Manhattan and Hollywood.

Our boys were welcomed with ululations, and hands that were raised in the famous V sign. From the podium, I could tell that the school was a bastion of Amakhosi female supporters whose heroes had visited to make their Valentines Day celebration a memorable one. Famous names of Kaizer Junior, Tau, Obua and Schalkwyk stole the show, as girls could not resist the temptation of touching, hugging and securing the often-illusive autograph from their heroes. Siphiwe Tshabalala and Itumeleng Khune were the toast of the celebration as young girls really tried to sneak a phone number and some contacts. The lanky Obua, the ever-funny Captain Ninja Nzama, Nkosi and the pretentiously “shy” Scara attracted huge noise every time they were called.

Surprisingly, this day coincided with the schools’ awards for learners that completed a Life Skills Programme on HIV/AIDS. All thirty-two of them had a rare opportunity of getting closer and winning an unusual hug from their famous heroes. Kaizer Junior must have gone home with tired limbs after being the hot favourite to hand certificates. At some stage, Obua was kidnapped into the library by a group that was bent on listening to him speak and seeing his rich dark skin closer. The lanky one obliged and won a few hearts from the zealous ladies at Lofentse High. He must thank yours truly for rescuing him!!!

Lady teachers on the other hand could also not resist the temptation of remembering their days as young girls at a school. It was not surprising as one specifically mentioned and honoured Thabo Mooki as a typical role model of her time. Thabo’s long history of service and dedication at Chiefs set him apart from the guys as he represented the ethics and gist of what education and teaching is all about. Perseverance, discipline and dedication were terms associated with Tsikitsiki!

Our last stop was Morris Isaacson, the famous Mecca of student politics in the volatile seventies and eighties. Here the plan was to allow one-on-one interaction between our lads and Grade 12 learners. As we moved from one class to the other, it became obvious that our presence could attract other learners that were originally not targeted by our visit.

In no time, the noise outside the rooms was unbearable and made difficult our intention to allow our boys to answer questions about themselves and their careers. Under the circumstances, we managed to visit four classes and reached out to those that were fortunate to see their heroes very close. The signing of autographs on both book and school shirt became the order of the day. Some educators also managed a quick handshake, something that taught me that Amakhosi resides deep into the hearts of both the learned, and the unlearned alike!

To the boys that visited the shelter and two schools, the start of their Valentines Day opened another window of reality in the everyday lives of ordinary citizens. The central lesson was that life was a precious gift and something worth thanking its creator for at all times. The touching experience at Vutomi I Nyiko was just enough “to shake them off their comfort zone and appreciate what GOD has planted in their lives” as David Obua later commented.

They also remembered the innocence of being learners and confined into a school environment that demanded the best in everything they attempted. Siyabonga Nkosi remembered his bare feet walk to school deep in the rural hills of Kwa-Zulu Natal. However, the Siyabonga at Vutomi made him realise the need to share and support the initiatives of brave women like Linah. Jimmy could not hold his emotions when he recounted his moments with Tinyiko and her mother.

For Captain Nzama, such excursions were necessary to ease the pressure of donning the famous gold and black. His experience was more of getting the lads in touch with reality so that they do not forget the social responsibility that they shoulder particularly outside the field of play.

As for yours truly, I felt challenged to design a Kaizer Chiefs Social Responsibility Programme that will stretch our influence beyond the entertaining world of soccer. Mine is a declaration that will turn Amakhosi’s rich and successful thirty seven years of football history into a significant developmental responsibility that shall indeed make a difference into the lives of Lehlohonolo, the women at Lofentse and their counterparts at Morris Isaacson. The mission is to continuously share the love and spread the peace!

Thebe Mohatle


Khosi 4 Life!