Sanele Buthelezi is a midfielder-come-striker who is
confident with the ball at his feet, who puts in clever runs, and who finishes
off the chances that come his way.
And now he is going to get
the opportunity to show off those skills on a world stage as part of the
Sinamuva Public Primary School football team that was crowned the Danone
Nations Cup South Africa champions in June after a tough four months of
qualifications.
The team’s reward is a trip to Warsaw, Poland in September to
participate in the 2012 Danone Nations Cup World Finals, along with 39 other
countries.
Sanele hails from Imbali Township in Pietermaritzburg, and he
started playing football back in 2005 when he was six years old.
In grade 2 he made his school’s athletics team and even represented
the KwaZulu-Natal province. After those national championships he asked the
football coach, Mr Khoane, if he could train with the team as the athletics
season was over and before long he joined the team permanently.
Sanele sees Mamelodi Sundowns’ Teko Modise as a player he
looks up to. “He plays my style of football and, coincidentally I wore his
jersey number (8) at the Danone National Finals,” he said.
A person who has inspired Sanele is his maths teacher Ms
Mamthi. “She always advises us to work hard, to be ambitious and have
self-discipline,” he said
Sanele hopes to study mechanical engineering one day, and
says that besides football, he also loves writing and dreams of being one of
South Africa’s best-known writers in the future.
“My biggest dream, however, is of building a decent house for
my family because we currently live in one bedroom shack. If I do pursue my
football career I would love to play in Russia and earn enough to do that.”
“My mom, Nozipho Buthelezi works as a cashier at a local
supermarket and she does her best to support me and my four siblings,” she is
my inspiration and motivation.”
Sanele says the Provincials Finals were the hardest stage of
the Danone Nations Cup for his team.
“I think teamwork pulled us through the preliminary rounds of
the provincial finals. We struggled in our first two games and in the final we
got the equalising goal in the last minute and went on to win 2-1 on
penalties.”
“Playing in the Danone Cup National Finals has given me more
confidence. I have learned that I can believe in my dreams. The tournament
taught me to be more motivated in life.”
“Winning the National Finals and getting visit from Neil
Tovey, who coached us at the school were experiences I will never forget.”
“This has brought great recognition to our school,” he said.
“I can’t wait to get on the plane for Poland.”
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