Siya Kolisi’s elevation to the captaincy of the South African national rugby side drew global interest for what it symbolized but he admits it has been a tough road to earn his place as arguably the most iconic player in the country.
Kolisi comes from a poor Eastern Cape background and having faced a number of tests of his own strength and perseverance, has risen to be among the most inspirational sportsmen in South Africa.
The importance of having a first black captain of the Springboks, which during apartheid was seen as the preserve of the white minority and the political power they yielded, cannot be understated and as such Kolisi has been fielding interviews from around the globe, including American network HBO, with the United States certainly not a traditional market for rugby content.
It is perhaps hard for younger generations to understand why Kolisi being handed the role – and wearing the same number six jersey that Francois Pienaar and former South African president Nelson Mandela at the 1995 World Cup final – is such an important moment for South African rugby, but it is all about making the game more inclusive to all races.
Anecdotal evidence of South Africans who had never watched a rugby match before rushing home to be in front of their television sets for Kolisi’s first test leading the side against England at Ellis Park on June 9 were plentiful.
Suddenly, there is a role model, an individual that many black South Africans can identify with, leading the team against another major rugby power.
<div id="attachment_37071" style="width: 750px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-37071" class="wp-image-37071 size-large" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/GettyImages-694540678-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="740" height="493" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/GettyImages-694540678-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/GettyImages-694540678-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/GettyImages-694540678-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/GettyImages-694540678-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/GettyImages-694540678.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" />Siya Kolisi of the Springboks during the Castle Lager Incoming Series 1st Test between South Africa and France at Loftus Versfeld Pretoria, South Africa. Photo via Getty Images</div>
But Kolisi admits that it needed a stern few words from Stormers coach Robbie Fleck in 2016 to push him in the right direction after making little impact in the early part of his career as he battled with the demands placed on a professional rugby player.
“I had a conversation with the coach and he told me I had to grow up, basically,” Kolisi tells FORBES AFRICA. “Since that day, I haven’t looked back. It’s not been easy, it’s been tough. I won’t lie, I had to mature a lot.
“Obviously now, I’m a leader at home as well, I have got kids that I must be a role model for. I had to change a lot of my ways.”
Kolisi was raised by his grandmother in the Zwide township near the coastal city of Port Elizabeth, but his sporting prowess earned him a scholarship to the prestigious Grey High School and changed his fortunes.
“I’m grateful to her, because she did everything she could to give me a life. She would go without food so that I could eat,” he said recently at a press conference.
“I couldn’t speak a word of English when I first attended Grey High, but my mates taught me and helped me with homework.
“Obviously, coming from the township and not having a lot, and coming to Grey, your dreams start becoming much bigger because you have so much. You have everything you need to be whatever you want to be.
“I started dreaming big. When I was in the township, to think that I would be here, you don’t dream like that. That’s my dream one day, to change that mentality [for others].”
Kolisi was snapped up by the Western Province Rugby Union in 2010, lured to Cape Town by their then coach Rassie Erasmus, who is now in charge of the Springboks.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/woman/2014/08/01/springbok-women-step-it-up-for-big-game/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Springbok Women Step It Up For Big Game</a>
He was handed the captaincy of the Stormers at the start of 2017, but there were still some murmurs of discontent from skeptical sections of the public when he was given the reins of the Springboks in June, with critics saying it was a political appointment to appease the South African government and deliver transformation targets for South African rugby.
<blockquote>“I can’t control what other people think of me, I can only control what I can do on the field,” Kolisi says.</blockquote>
“I think it is a genuine appointment by coach Rassie because he is not that kind of a person. I have known him since I was 18 years old. We sat down and he was straightforward with me and that is how it is. You always know where you stand with him.
“Coach Rassie is not a politician and neither am I. I am a rugby player and all I want to do is to play well and inspire South Africans of all races.
“I know how much of a big deal this thing is for the country and it is a great thing for me to be a role-model. As a Springbok, it is not only about rugby, it’s the things you do off the field.”
Kolisi’s first series in charge ended in a 2-1 home success over England and with a World Cup in Japan looming next year, he could be selected to lead the side at that global showpiece tournament.
But with other players who were previously named as captain ahead of him returning from injury, such as loose-forward Warren Whiteley and lock Eben Etzebeth, the ball will be in Erasmus’ court to see if he will stick with his historic appointment.
&#8211; By Nick Said

South Africa Press Conference

The New No. 6 Role Model In Rugby

As you drive past one of the most iconic roundabouts in Rwanda’s capital city Kigali, it’s hard to miss a giant billboard honoring one of the country’s most recent triumphs in sport: the national cricket’s team captain Eric Dusingizimana, who broke a Guinness world record batting non-stop for 51 hours in May 2016. He had trained months on end to accomplish the feat of the ‘longest net session’.
This has made Dusingizimana one of Rwanda’s most recognizable faces but has also brought awareness to a sport few talked about before. Remarkably, cricket is now being hailed as a new cohesive force for a country that has seen one of the world’s greatest human tragedies.
Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame is all praise for the country’s new hero and his sport.
“The record-breaking feat of endurance recently accomplished by Eric Dusingizimana is a fitting example of the perseverance and determination that characterize the Rwandan people. Sport is a unifying force that builds both individual character and national cohesion and cricket is no exception,” said Kagame.
The president is an ardent lover of sport and one sees him occasionally expressing his views on various sporting disciplines to his million-plus followers on Twitter.
Rwanda reveres football, and has well-entrenched interests in basketball and cycling – the country’s rolling hills are filled with cyclists in colorful gear on Sunday mornings.
And now cricket is also getting its share of the limelight. The sport also has big names supporting it in Rwanda.
Former British prime ministers David Cameron and Tony Blair were famously part of the fundraising drive for the Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation, which has now, over the past four years, managed to raise over a million pounds for phase one of a world-class facility for cricket in Rwanda. Blair was present when Dusingizimana broke the world record – he was in Kigali at the time to attend the World Economic Forum on Africa.
After bowling to Dusingizimana on his way to the world record, Blair noted the importance of the sport in a country like Rwanda.
“Cricket is known as a gentleman’s game and one cannot ignore the impact the sport has had in uniting the people of Rwanda,” he said.
The national team’s captain is mighty pleased about the mileage the sport has received since, which in turn helped raise additional funds for the stadium’s construction.
“That was easily the largest crowd I’ve seen at any cricket event in Rwanda and now more people know about the sport,” said the batsman.
<div id="attachment_32156" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32156" class="wp-image-32156 size-full" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/0091.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="640" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/0091.jpg 640w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/0091-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/0091-100x100.jpg 100w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/0091-600x600.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/0091-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" />Mary Maina, captain of the women&#8217;s cricket team</div>
His accomplishment exemplified the many things the Rwandan people stand for, one of which is the country’s perseverance in rebuilding its economy after the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994.
But before Dusingizimana became an overnight celebrity, it was not all rosy for the sport. One would hardly hear cricket mentioned outside its small circle of players and foreign enthusiasts. Newspaper coverage was hard to come by and radio and television did little. This made the task of finding sponsors for the game difficult.
It is partly for this reason that Dusingizimana and Alby Shale, founder and project director of the Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation decided to try something different.
Dusingizimana’s record was previously held by an Indian batsman but it was Shale who set out to achieve the first record. As part of the first campaign to raise funds for the sport, Shale had set a new world record batting for 26 hours but this was eventually broken by another Englishman whose record was 48 hours.
“It was at this point that my friends asked if I could do 49 hours but then came an Indian guy who made it 50 hours. That’s when Eric came and started working for the Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation and when I suggested it to him, he didn’t think twice.”
Shale’s first interaction with Rwanda came as part of a group of British volunteers who would come to the country every year to work for the Rwandan people.
“My father [Christopher Shale] set up a social action project that would go to Rwanda every year to try and justify why the British government should spend some of its GDP on international aid. I immediately fell in love with the people and saw first-hand how Rwanda was trying to rebuild its community having gone through the horrors of 1994,” says Shale.
It is during this time that he noticed the love the few cricket enthusiasts in the country had for the game.
“After my return to the UK, I started having extensive conversations with some organizations and my father about how cricket is a resource-intensive game and Rwanda was really lacking in facilities, this was ultimately prohibiting their development, that’s when we agreed to set up the Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation to help the sport grow in the country.”
Unfortunately for Shale, a few months after setting up the foundation, his father passed away and that’s when it became more obvious he needed to focus on this as part of his legacy.
“I needed to channel my grief and keeping my father’s dream alive was the only thing I could think of. Cricket needed to be taken to the next level and ever since, we’ve been trying to raise funds to try and create the first international cricket stadium in Rwanda.”
The facility will include a cricket square, cricket nets, a maintenance facility and all the equipment needed to maintain the oval to international standards.
The foundation has to now raise a further £250,000 for the construction of a cricket pavilion. Its design will replicate a bouncing cricket ball in a bid to make it look authentic, and complementing Rwanda’s beautiful landscape. The local community will be involved in the construction of the facility.
Just like most development projects in the country, the Rwandan government has had a hand in seeing this dream come alive.
The government, through the Ministry of Sports and Culture, has not only given VAT exemption to the foundation but also provided the land on which the facility is to be built, free of charge.
“Such has been the government’s role in facilitating not only the growth of the sport of cricket but also across other sectors that has seen a whole-scale infrastructure transformation in the country,” Charles Haba, President of the Rwanda Cricket Association, had said in an earlier interview.
The story of Rwanda’s growth over the past 22 years is never complete without the mention of the role its women have played in seeing it come to fruition. Rwanda holds the record for the highest number of women in public office with a 64% representation in parliament.
This empowerment has been reflected across various sectors and the sport of cricket hasn’t been left behind. In its journey towards achieving the dream of a world-class cricket stadium, the national women’s team captain Mary Maina will attempt to set a new world record for the longest net session by a woman.
The feat has never been attempted before and Maina will have to bat for a minimum of 24 hours. A university student, she believes that the growing popularity of the sport among women is a reflection of women’s empowerment in the country. In fact, the growth of women’s cricket in Rwanda has seen it surpass that of international powerhouse India despite the latter having more people supporting it.
“Our leaders have made us believe that a woman’s place can be anywhere. In Rwanda, a woman is not only restricted to the kitchen stereotype, we have been made to believe that we can achieve anything and even be better at most things,” says the 24-year-old.
Clearly, the journey of cricket in Rwanda is not so different from the country’s own growth. They are both setting world records.

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Cricket: Rwanda’s New Unifying Force

It is noisy and crowded at the 155th birthday of Dale College in King William’s Town. Everyone, even people who never went to school here, are dressed in red and black school colours. The school army cadets march through the crowds with a clatter of boots. All, from toddlers to old men leaning on sticks, head for the CB Jennings rugby field; a sacred place at this school, affectionately known as ‘The Graveyard’ for it is where opposition teams are buried.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-5582" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/13235694_1024381354304366_4024981304745766848_o-228x300.jpg" alt="" width="228" height="300" />
The noise around the field is deafening as the lean and lithe players jog slowly out onto the green grass. This weekend revolves around rugby and this pitch is a cradle of champions. Some of the biggest names in rugby cut their teeth – and probably a bit of flesh – on this ground: All Black Greg Somerville; Springbok wing Bjorn Basson; former Springbok and Blue Bulls hooker Bandise Maku; the first black captain of the Sharks Lubabalo Mtembu; former Proteas bowler Monde Zondeki; Sharks looseforward Keegan Daniel. Makhaya Ntini – the record holding South African test cricket player – also sprinted down the wing on this ground.
Steve Biko – the Black Consciousness Movement leader who grew up in Ginsberg a few kilometres down the road – would have been proud. Biko, who died in police custody just over 40 years ago, was also a rugby player as well as an idealist and activist.
It is likely even Biko would have been surprised by the slow, but sure transformation at this former whites-only elite school.
As the first team prepares for the kick off, Hennie Otto is the only white player. The other 14 are all black. Even the heaving stands that rise up around the pitch are a sign of the times. Each group of reunited former pupils sits together in the same row according to school year. The stands used to be all white. With every passing year a white row is replaced by a black one.
“Out of 550 odd learners, there are about 25 white, colored, Indian and other races. The rest of the learners are all African black, which is a fair representation of the town they come from and the country as a whole,” says Dale College Headmaster, Mike Eddy.
According to Eddy, Dale College took the lead in accepting black African learners in former Model C schools during the early 90s. While the school’s racial demographics may have changed over the years, the first team coach, Grant Griffiths, maintains that the school’s traditions and values have not.
“We’ve kept all our traditions when it comes to sports, especially rugby. The jersey hand out, the sing-songs, the slapping, initiation, and all those things. The learners and players want to keep it from A to Z,” says Griffiths.
Griffiths too was at Dale College. He captained the last unbeaten rugby team in 1993.
This year’s team has beaten all their rivals in the province, and is number one in the Eastern Cape and sixth in the country.
Dale’s coach says while not much has changed in the style of play, compared to the team he captained, the biggest challenge comes with culture.
As a predominantly Xhosa province, the boys have to undergo a month long initiation in the mountain, as part of their rite of passage to manhood.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-5589" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/P1030405-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" />
“It’s always difficult with the boys having to go to the mountain for initiation school but we’re working around that. The six weeks straight after coming back is the most important. Diet wise, nutrition, gym. We’re never going to be the biggest side in the world but as long as we’re strong and fit, we’ll be able to keep up with the big boys,” says Griffiths.
“People go, they come back and they change. For example, if you are a new cap, when you come back from the mountain you’ll have that mentality of ndingu bhuti ngoku [I’m a man now] so I can’t go around picking up cones. We always manage to work around that though,” says Kwanda Dimaza, who has also been to the mountain and is set to go to one of the country’s top rugby unions, the Sharks, next year. He made the SA Schools under-18 team last year when he was still in grade 11.
Another hindrance to Dale College’s abilities is students choosing more prestigious high schools after primary school. South Africa’s 200-meter national record holder and one of the fastest men in Africa, Anaso Jobodwana, is one of the many who left for the college’s fierce rival, Selborne College in East London. Stormers hooker, Siyabonga ‘Scarra’ Ntubeni, is another who left for King Edward VII School in Johannesburg.
“It’s been difficult over the years but we’ve managed to hold on to more now,” says Griffiths.
Dale Junior headmistress, Patricia Thatcher, the first woman to head Dale’s primary school, says the learners are taught to be the best.
“It is about the commitment and the passion of the staff first of all. With them on your side, you start instilling the discipline and commitment in the kids from grade ‘R’ and once they’ve got it, it’s there,” says Thatcher.
Interestingly, Thatcher doesn’t even know the racial demographics of Dale Junior.
“It’s not even an issue of transformation anymore, it just is. A lot of people ask ‘how do you get it right?’ It’s not a case of getting it right, it’s what comes natural to us,” says Thatcher.
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While transformation remains a thorn in the side of South African rugby, Dale’s first team coach says it has hampered the future of some players he has coached. Griffiths says rugby unions often take players from Dale College and those players, more often than not, spend their time at those unions on the bench.
“A player like Ace Joe for example got lost in the Blue Bulls set up for two years, which is a hell of an important two years for him. I think he got 20 minutes of game time that whole season which basically cost him his career,” says Griffiths.
He says the unions now guarantee the players game time when signing the youngsters.
He hopes to see players like Aphelele Fassi, who has already been offered a contract by the Sharks while in grade 11, Dimaza, who is also set to join the Sharks, and many others with offers at various unions, one day don the Springbok jersey.
“I’ve never seen that being hard. I think the players that come through, if they get looked after, after school like we do at Dale College, with the rugby and the players managed well, as well as given opportunities, I don’t see that ever being a problem.”
So while South African sport struggles against the twin problems of transformation and creating excellence, it could perhaps learn something from Dale College.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-5585" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/SouthAfricanTestTeamHeadshotsOX_2SxQXqEXl-199x300.jpg" alt="" width="199" height="300" />

Red, Black  And Covered In Glory

<ol>
<li>
<h3>How long did it take to get to the top?</h3>
</li>
</ol>
Nearly two decades. I began my career at sea as a cadet in 1996. I then worked on cargo ships, shipping bananas between Ecuador and California, before starting my career in the cruise industry in 2001 as third mate. I worked my way up the ranks, from second officer, first officer navigation, first officer deck, first officer safety, chief officer safety to staff captain (deputy captain, second-in-command). I then joined Celebrity Cruises in July 2015 with my promotion to captain.
&nbsp;
<ol start="2">
<li>
<h3>You have made history as a female captain…</h3>
</li>
</ol>
I honestly did not expect the overwhelming response of support and sheer enthusiasm for my promotion, but I meet people on a daily basis who tell me how much it means to them to see me in this position. It is a very humbling experience, and I really enjoy sharing the story about where and how it all started – with my dad, who told me I could be anything I wanted in life. I meet fathers who let me know that they tell their daughters the same thing. I meet grandmothers who have so much faith in their granddaughters and want to share my story with them. I enjoy speaking to young women and watching their faces and reactions as they come to the realization that becoming a captain of a cruise ship is a possibility for them.
<ol start="3">
<li>
<h3>What is your greatest high on the high seas?</h3>
</li>
</ol>
The ability to actually maneuver the vessel – the arrivals and departures from ports are an adrenaline rush!
&nbsp;
<ol start="4">
<li>
<h3>What is the roughest weather you have encountered at sea?</h3>
</li>
</ol>
I have found that the term ‘rough’ is relative as everyone has a different definition, but one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is not only applicable to going to sea, but also on land: Mother Nature is to be respected. There are several things that we can control but Mother Nature is not one of them. However, we have great, expert means of being able to make predictions and plan accordingly. The safety of our guests and crew always comes first, and we do not take chances.
<ol start="5">
<li>
<h3>How is it like to be away from family for months?</h3>
</li>
</ol>
My contract is three months onboard and three months at home. I have the opportunity to invite my family to come sail with me when possible. Onboard, I have a family of 950 crew members. You can say we are a support system of our own. More than 65 different nationalities and backgrounds working together and supporting each other – they are truly special relationships.
When I am home, I can do anything I want, including travel, visit friends and family or learn a new hobby – there are plenty of those on my list! Also, communication has evolved so much since I began sailing; it is easier than ever to stay in touch with loved ones, they are only just a click or phone call away. Life onboard, doing what I love, is nice. Many things are taken care of, such as laundry, meals, cleaning, scheduling. When I go home, it takes a bit of time to adjust to making my own bed, sitting in traffic or going to the grocery store to buy ingredients to cook a meal.
&nbsp;
<ol start="6">
<li>
<h3>What’s your typical day aboard the ship?</h3>
</li>
</ol>
Days at sea are great for me to meet as many guests as possible. I like to walk throughout the ship, go where great events are taking place, talk to everyone and find out where they are from and how their cruise experience is going.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<ol start="7">
<li>
<h3>Would you recommend this career for other women?</h3>
</li>
</ol>
Women are in the ranks. They have been since I began sailing. The opportunities are increasing for everyone, with more ships being built and positions opening up, and I believe you will see more female captains in the cruise industry soon. It is an incredible career, and I recommend it for anyone who has wanderlust in their veins, enjoys meeting new and interesting people, and experiencing the world by an awe-inspiring mode of transportation – cruising. Think about how you feel when you witness a perfect sunrise or sunset, now that is what it feels like to be at sea every day.

Kate-etch

7 Questions With…

When in August, Captain Irene Koki Mutungi, a pilot with Kenya’s national carrier Kenya Airways, flew into Nairobi the airline’s fourth Boeing 787 Dreamliner from Boeing’s assembly site in South Carolina, United States, it did not make much news.
The fact that she is Africa’s first black female Boeing 787 Dreamliner certified Captain did not make headlines either. The story was the plane.
Mutungi was raised in what she describes an aviator’s home. Her father was a pilot with Kenya Airways.
“My most memorable moment was when I flew with him on a flight he was commanding to London. I was about five years old. From that day, I promised myself I would one day become a Captain,” she reminisces.
She says she’s fortunate to be born into a family where excellence and integrity were all-important. She has become more conscious of the real world and is motivated by the fact that women, especially African women, can excel in everything. Has she ever encountered discrimination as a woman?
“Unfortunately, such is life. Anytime it has happened it has increased my resolve to keep aiming high. In my early years in aviation, a passenger disembarked because he said he wasn’t a guinea pig. That can tell you what I’ve been through sometimes.”
In many parts of the world and especially Africa, it’s still a man’s world. The stereotype of the working woman is rarely attractive with popular culture portraying successful women as consumed by their careers.
“As for stereotypes, this one too is far from reality. There are countless women successful in their careers and dedicated to their families and communities at large.”
Mutungi cites Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former Malawi President Joyce Banda and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the Africa Union Chairperson.
“Just like those African leaders and other women who are anchors of their households and communities, I too am a dedicated person who always strives towards excellence while remaining committed to what matters. I do that by being a model mother, model daughter and a role model to my African sisters.”
Mutungi describes her journey to the top in a male-dominated industry as one filled with commitment, sacrifice and support from friends and family.
Fear is at the root of so many barriers women face. Fear of not being liked. Fear of making the wrong choice. Fair of failure. How does Mutungi handle fear?
“I don’t know what fear means. Yes, sometimes I may ask myself questions, but every situation is handled in a way that leaves me in control.”
She says she rarely has sleepless nights. “If I stay awake at night, it’s not usually anything of concern. I think of how great an aircraft the B787 Dreamliner is. Boeing has delivered a masterpiece.”
Mutungi wants to be remembered as an African mother who tried her best to change the narrative of the African continent.

FWA-2014-Oct-Nov-058-Kenyan-pilot-001

Flying The Dream

As a child in Kampala, Dennis Kirunda Mahadha dreamed of playing professional football in the leading European leagues. The son of the legendary national team captain, Jimmy Kirunda, pursuing a career as a footballer meant he had massive boots to fill. Undaunted, he arrived at West Ham United’s Chadwell Heath training ground in 2003 for trials with the English Premier League team. On the cusp of achieving his lifelong dream, Mahadha played his heart out as he sought to convince the club to offer him a contract. Sadly, the verdict after the trial was unfavorable.
“They wrote back to me saying that I hadn’t qualified; not because I wasn’t good, but because of their structure here. If you are above 16 [he was 19 at the time], your chances of playing professional are slim. So I was disappointed and I thought about leaving football completely,” he says.
Mahadha took a break from the game to reconsider his career. During this period of introspection, the light bulb moment occurred.
“I found out that many African brothers have gone through what I went through. Disappointed, they decided to go on the streets frustrated as they thought their life was over. So I came up with this idea of the African Nations Cup UK, for them to come and participate, and come back into football. I thought that this idea of football can unite the whole African community in [Britain] and when the community is united, lots of good can come out of it.”
With the help of a few trusted friends, Mahadha began planning for the tournament. The inaugural event, which featured eight countries, was held at the Hackney Marshes sport grounds in east London in 2009. Although small in terms of the number of countries and players, Mahadha was surprised by the excitement and interest from the African community. This motivated them to press on with the event which is held annually.
“In 2010, we identified the real people in charge of community football, so that’s when it went big. We registered 16 countries; we played our matches at Beckton and had our finals at the Terence McMillan Stadium,” says Mahadha.
Each year, the profile of the event gets bigger. This year, the tournament was declared open by the Rwandan high commissioner to Britain, Williams Nkurunziza. Partnerships have also been established with various county football associations, charities and corporate organizations, such as the Essex County Football Association, the Terrence Higgins Trust and Kick It Out, the anti-racism organization established by the English Football Association (FA). It was based on this that Mahadha received an interesting email on a routine work day last September.
The growth of Mahadha’s tournament and his contribution to grassroots football grabbed the attention of the country’s football authorities. They sent him an email to tell him he had been selected to attend an event at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the FA’s 150th anniversary.
“I thought it was junk. I looked properly at the email to see where it came from; it had the logo of the FA’s 150th anniversary and the signature of the Chairman, Greg Dyke, and I thought this is real. I was so pleased.”
The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, who is also the president of the FA, hosted the event which recognized 150 individuals for their contribution to the development of grassroots football. Mahadha received a commemorative medal and certificate signed by the prince. He relives the moment with a mixture of happiness and humor.
“I went and bought a nice suit from Marks &amp; Spencer and we went to Buckingham palace. Security was tight and the event was fantastic.”
Significantly, the Prince’s words to him remain etched in his memory.
“He told me ‘this idea, this concept is so good. Just keep it up; keep up the good work for the community.’”
Recognition has also come by way of a formal ranking on the FA’s community development list.
“When we began, we were just affiliated with the county FAs, just to get the license to run a football tournament. We had to be organized, we had to have the right timing for the tournament after the football season; and we had to have a clear vision. Your objectives must be very, very clear. We had all these, so through that we managed to partner with different FAs, then ultimately the big FA at Wembley. That’s why, this year, our draws were done at Wembley Stadium. We are now rated number 67 on the FA leaderboard. I think Arsenal is third, Barnet is second for community development, so we are on that list.”
From its humble beginnings when around 500 players registered for the tournament, the African Nations Cup UK now attracts more than 6,000 players of African descent as participants. This remarkable growth means the tournament could be a platform for discovering new talent. Convinced that it could become renowned for this, the organizers have introduced an under-15 category to run at the same time as the senior tournament.
“We have the unspotted talent at the tournament. Last year, three boys were taken to [English Premier League side] Norwich for trials. They were from Ghana. Also, there was a Zimbabwean guy who is now in Turkey, but he was spotted at the African Nations Cup UK. Based on this, we started thinking of giving the youth a chance and we had to introduce the junior category as well. The best player from the winning side gets a chance to take part at a competition at AFC Wimbledon. So now we give the best young players a chance to do trials at some good clubs,” says Mahadha.
The organizers hope the impact of the tournament will also be felt in Africa.
“We believe that African Cup of Nations UK will be a feeder to the African Cup of Nations. We get good players from here, they go into their national teams where they come from or where their parents come from, and they play for them to represent Africa,” says Daniel Lutaaya, the co-founder and head of marketing for the tournament.
Despite these remarkable achievements, Mahadha believes there is still some way to go to achieving his vision. He wants to have all African countries represented at the event.
“My dream is to see that not only 20 countries take part in this, but all 54 African countries take part. If we have 54 countries, then we’ve united the whole community. It’s not yet over until we reach the last person in the community.”

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