South Africans might not have heard of a little village in the Eastern Cape called Mount Frere, but this changed in July this year when Barkerville Junior Primary School were crowned the Danone Nations Cup champions, winning for themselves a trip to Spain from 5 – 10 October to compete in the Danone Nations Cup World Finals, the biggest tournament for children between 10 and 12 in the World!
Preparations are well underway for this once in a lifetime trip where the team will compete against 39 other nations. The Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan has come on board and is running weekly training camps for the youngsters and one player that is relishing this opportunity is 12 year-old striker, Qhamani Mandlevu.
Mandlevu was a contributing factor to the team’s success. He scored 11 goals in the elimination games and 3 goals in the National Finals. Barkerville finally beat Kgwahlele Primary School from Limpopo 1 – 0 to win the title. His coach credits him with having lightning pace, good finishing and is confident with the ball at his feet and will be using him in the starting line-up in Spain.
Orlando Pirates stalwart, Andile Jali, is young Mandlevu’s football hero and role model. “I love Andile Jali and I recently found out that he is from the Eastern Cape which gives me even more confidence as I know that the Eastern Cape also produces skilled footballers. He (Jali) has become an inspiration to all of us as we saw how hard he worked and his determination to get to play at the top level of the game and we all want to do the same.”
While Mandlevu undoubtedly has a great love for the beautiful game, his plans extend far beyond soccer: “I would like to study Mechanical Engineering one day and besides football I also love athletics. Maybe I will be the fastest runner in South Africa one day.”
Mandlevu admitted that life in Mount Frere is not easy. Being a small town there are not many business opportunities meaning that most people are unemployed. “If I make it into professional football my first few pay cheques will go towards building a decent house for my family because currently my mother, three siblings and I live in a one bedroom house.”
The upcoming trip to Spain may just be the beginning of a future Mandlevu is currently only dreaming about. He will be making new friends and creating many fond memories that he will carry for a lifetime, which is the primary objective of the Danone Nations Cup: “By bringing healthy food and some good healthy fun together, children learn about life through a shared experience. And to those who get to the World Finals, it is an experience that will undoubtedly become a cherished memory,” says Sandra Dorville, Communications manager of Danone Southern Africa.
Walking around the field and watching all teams in action in Spain will be none other than the Danone Nations Cup ambassador, Zinedine Zidane. This famous French international and FIFA footballer of the Year has been involved with the tournament since its inception in 2000 as he believes in the values upon which the tournament is built.
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| A focused Mandlevu keeps his eye on the ball |
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| Qhamani Mandlevu on the ball for Barkerville Junior Secondary School at the Danone Nations Cup National Final |
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