Our young sport stars have become role models for their fans, writes Bongani Siqoko
They may not be big stars and big names in the league of Ronaldo, Mike Tyson or Tiger Woods yet, but they are certainly riding the crest of the wave in their chosen sports. They are still young and have a lot more to offer.
Benedict McCarthy, Makhaya Ntini and Paul “Gogga” Adams are stars in their own right.
They are young, gifted, good-looking and at the tender age of 20, drive top-of-the- range Mercedes Benzes, own beautiful townhouses in leafy suburbs and make loads of money.
These youngsters have taken the country’s sports arena by storm. It is only fair to say they are living most kids’ fantasy.
That fantasy is now taking hold in the minds of millions of South African youths.
On a dusty sports ground in Moroka, in Soweto, a dozen pre-teen boys come together after school to play soccer.
None of them thinks he will become a doctor, a lawyer or a teacher. They all dream of becoming footballers and doing even more than McCarthy has done for his country.
School is not that important. Before doing their homework, they come together and do what they know best – kicking a soccer ball around.
It’s this time, after school, playing soccer, that they throw their hearts into. Why?
“Because I want to be the next Benni, drive a Mercedes and appear on TV too, then ultimately don the famous Bafana Bafana jersey,” explains Njabulo Sisulu.
Sisulu and his friends are good soccer players who are challenged by McCarthy’s successes – on and off the pitch.
One Saturday evening, says Sisulu, after watching his favourite television programme that featured McCarthy, he decided to pursue his childhood dream of “playing for a top professional soccer team and landing a contract with an overseas team” – just like McCarthy. That is why he is still playing football on the streets.
“That day, after watching that programme, I told myself that one day I will be rich as well.
“Look, Benni is only 20 and I’m 13. So in seven years to come, everyone will be talking about Njabulo and not Benni. I will be wearing gold rings and chains, Rayban sunglasses and driving my Mercedes,” he says confidently.
Sisulu claims he possesses the same qualities as McCarthy. “Which is why I’m so confident of making it in the paid ranks,” he adds.
Watching him and his friends play soccer passionately, one cannot help but hope for the best for these boys.
The truth is that very few will make it to the top in this rigorously competitive profession.
To prove his commitment to soccer, Sisulu will not be celebrating Youth Day on June 16, but watching Brazil take on Morocco that afternoon.
“No I’m not going anywhere. I will be home watching that game,” he says.
McCarthy, Ntini and Adams are currently overseas, playing for their respective national teams. McCarthy is in the Bafana Bafana World Cup squad in France, while Ntini and Adams are with the national cricket team in England.
Within the short space of time they have been in the limelight, they have won the hearts of young admirers throughout the country.
Their new-found fame has made them instant hits and they have become role models for aspirant stars. Wherever they go they are mobbed by young fans seeking autographs.
The trio are among the country’s top money- spinners and the highest paid 20-year-olds in the country.
Kafuwa Mazibuko, who captains the under-13 cricket team at the Soweto Cricket Oval, says it is his dream to follow in Ntini’s footsteps and become the second African to represent South Africa internationally. Ntini became the first when he made his debut last year.
“Ntini is my hero, I would like to be like him one day. He has encouraged some of us, especially we guys from the townships, to keep on working hard to achieve our goals,” he said.
South African sport has changed dramatically over the years. Not so long ago, sport in this country was regarded as an extramural activity.
But now it is a source of income for the fortunate handful of young people who make it to the top.
With the popularity, money and glamour that comes with being a top performer, more young people are taking sport seriously.
Asked why he wanted to pursue a soccer career, Sisulu said: “Because I love it. But of course I want money. Football can make you rich.”
And it’s true. Football can make you stinking rich.
For instance, at Ajax Amsterdam, where McCarthy plays football, when Ajax wins, every player who played in the game gets about R45 000 as a bonus. With the club winning more than 20 games a season, McCarthy can pocket more than R900 000 in bonuses every season.
He drives a Mercedes SLK and spends his spare time relaxing in his beautiful three- storey house in Amsterdam. His monthly salary is rumoured to be more than R50 000.
Ntini, who is making waves in cricket circles at the moment, drives a Mercedes Benz (C class) and owns a posh townhouse in Gonubie, outside East London.
If he played in all the one-day games and test matches, he could earn more than R500 000 a year – a far cry from growing up as a herdboy in KwaMdingi, a small village outside King William’s Town.
Adams makes a little more than Ntini because he is more experienced and gets to play more often. He makes nearly R800 000 a year – quite a lot for spinning cricket balls.
The three are undoubtedly the most talked about in sporting circles at the moment, with aspiring sports stars wanting to be “the next Benni, Ntini or Gogga”.
It has not been easy to get to the top, and as difficult to remain there.
McCarthy and Adams grew up in the notorious Cape Flats where gangsters rule the township. They had to make some sacrifices to do what they know best – scoring goals and spinning balls.
When Ntini was selected for his first official game, he did not even own a pair of training shoes, and McCarthy used to share a pair of soccer boots with his older brother, Jerome.
The fact that they rose from such humble beginnings strikes a powerful chord with the next generation of hopefuls in the townships.