Midfielders,
Smangaliso Khoza and Njomo Mabunda, believe this trip is a dream come
true. Smangaliso Khoza comes from a poor
background and is one of six children, raised by their grandmother while their
parents are away doing piece work to survive. His grandmother is his biggest
supporter. “She gives me money to go watch matches when my parents can’t, and
she is always there for me and encourages me to be better at what I do,” he
said.
One
reason Smangaliso is excited about going to London is to play on the field his
favourite club, Manchester United, has triumphed many a time. “I admire the
Manchester United players who are disciplined and I know that they earn a lot
of money. I will always have football in
my heart, but my dream is actually to be a mechanical engineer and to one day
be in a position to buy a house in Durban for my family.” Smangaliso also have
a favourite local player and club:
Simphiwe Tshabalala from Player his favourite player.
In
contrast Njomo Mabunda comes from a more affluent family. His father is a
teacher at the school, and the team’s manager and his mother is a mathematics
teacher at a neighbouring school.
Mabunda
has a love for computers and when he is not playing soccer he is generally at
the keyboard. “I love numbers,” he says, “and I enjoy helping may father who is
not very good with his computer.”
Mabunda is learning all he can about London ahead of
the trip there. “Everyone at home knows that I have been to Reiger Park (for
the Danone Nations Cup nationals finals), and soon they will also know that I
have been to London,” he said.
