Kaivan felt the pace of Joburg was a bit daunting when he
travelled to the metropolitan city to compete in the national finals a few
months ago, but it is now a completely different ball game. It’s going to
be hectic, Kaivan admitted, but he is looking forward to it, and the team is
hard at work preparing for what is going to be the adventure of a lifetime.
Kaivan was born, and has spent his entire youth to date
in the small village of Tshiozi, outside Louis Trichardt in Limpopo.
He was a pupil at Maguluvhe Primary School, close to
Benny’s Sports Academy, when he was approached by scouts from Benny’s and
invited to join the school in 2015 as a boarder.
His brother, Ivan Mahangwahaya, also attended Benny’s and
is now a professional player at Black Leopards which competes in the National
First Division.
Ivan, who is a 27 year old midfielder, is his role model
and hero. Their mother, Emely, is unemployed and so Ivan supports them and pays
Kaivan’s school fees. He visits them once a month and it’s something Kaivan
looks forward to very much.
Being at Benny’s has changed the life of the youngster.
“I love being at a soccer school as well as living in the hostel where I can
play with my friends after school and we help each other with our homework.”
The national finals were not easy, Kaivan said, and it
became more difficult when their captain, Dakalo Mokweng, was injured and was
taken off. “Our goalie, Hulisani Mashau, was made captain in his place and he
was a good motivator and also saved many goals. What a learnt from this
experience was not to get flustered as things change and you need to make the
most of the new situation and go out there and make things happen for your
team.”
The toughest game in the national finals was against the
Eastern Cape team, Barkerville he said. “Their defence was very strong and I
could not break through the back line and score.”
As the team’s striker, Kaivan feels he needs to get
mentally prepared for France. “It’s going to be fast-paced and there are 32
teams so there will be plenty of people around and most will not even speak
English. Before going to Joburg I didn’t even know what traffic was and I
believe that Paris is even bigger and I need to ensure that this doesn’t
interfere with my concentration,” he admits, “but our coach, Mbishi Mokwena is
helping us prepare in all respects. He is caring and motivational. We are
watching video’s of previous world final games as well as of Paris so that we
know what to expect.”
Kaivan realises the importance of getting an education
and when he finishes school he wants to become a lawyer. He believes that many
people that are incarcerated are innocent and he wants to stand up for these
people. “I enjoy watching law movies and I think this is my calling.
Coming from a rural area I appreciate the opportunity that Danone is giving us
of going to France as I will have to come out of my comfort zone which is
important and teaches lateral thinking, which is necessary for law and life in
general.”
