MESSAGE OF SUPPORT OF THE MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION SOUTH
AFRICA (SRSA), HONOURABLE MR FIKILE MBALULA (MP), ON THE OCASSION
OF THE FUNERAL SERVICE OF AWETHU DYANTYI, SIVIWE GREEN AND ABULELE
BOMELA OF THE ELEVEN STARS FOOTBALL CLUB HELD AT LUCKY ACES SPORT
PLAYING FIELD AT KUBUSI VILLAGE, STUTTERHEIM COMMUNITY, NEAR KING
WILLIAM’S TOWN, EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE. 15 SEPTEMBER 2012
In ‘Memory of Awethu Dyantyi, Siviwe Green and Abulele Bomela’, AND
on behalf of Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA), I would like to take
some very important words from one of our fathers of philosophy, Mr
Frederick Engels, when he wrote in his book, Anti-Schelling in 1841.
Comrade Engels raised the following important anecdote about young
people:
“What is genuine is proved in the fire. What is false we shall not miss
in our ranks. The opponents must grant us that youth
which has
never before flocked to our colours in such numbers. In the end,
one will be found among us who will prove the sword of enthusiasm
is just as good as the sword of genius”.
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The Kubusi Village was granted that youth which had flocked the ranks of
the Eleven Stars Football Club only to raise the ‘Black and White’ flag and
sing songs of the AmaBhelembe to show their enthusiasm in sport and
their genius in playing soccer.
But, on 1st September 2012 a black cloud collapsed on the roads of
Stutterheim near Kubusi Village in the Eastern Cape Province of the
Republic of South Africa. The inner strength of the Eleven Stars and that of
the Dyantyi, Green and Bomela families was crushed down by a ‘tsunami’
of an oncoming traffic in a tragic accident 5km from Stutterheim near
Kubusi Village claiming the lives of our rising and shining sportspersons,
Awethu Dyantyi, Siviwe Green and Abulele Bomela.
This ‘trio’ was the promising ‘crown jewel’ of the Stutterheim community
and the Mecca of Sport and Soccer in the Kubusi Village. However, this
accident has robbed this community of such heroes and role models.
We are gathered here today to respond to the ‘Post’ which rang in the
fields, valleys and mountains of the Kubisi Village near King William’s Town.
The ringing Post was to inform all the citizens of the Republic that Awethu,
Siviwe and Abulele are no more. They are permanently removed from
society by a gruesome and tragic motor accident that happened on their
way home from a soccer tournament.
These fellow young South Africans were just mere students who did not
have an ability to make ends meet like the employed youth.
They
struggled to travel to soccer tournaments; even to have food on their way
to sporting events as well as struggling to have sport attire and equipment
for their clubs.
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Their only crime was not to have that transport to go to the soccer
tournament and back to their village. When the samarathan, from an idle
car that transported bereaved families from Cape Town to a funeral in
Eastern Cape, provided them with a transport to and from the games,
they knew little that it was a lift to haven. On the R346 road near King
William’s Town an excruciating gash hit the community of Kubusi and
brought a sharp pain in the pinnacle of the inner soul of Eleven Stars
Football Club and their families. The innocent blood of ‘AmaBhelembe’,
and the ‘Black and White’ flag of the Eleven Stars were shattered on the
R346 road. Their ‘Shine and Rise’ slogan became a painful ‘dust to dust’
sentiment when the motor vehicle carrying them lost control after a tyre
bust and crashed the oncoming cars.
It is therefore of pivotal importance for us in sport and recreation and on
behalf of the government of the Republic of South Africa to extend our
deepest condolences to the bereaved families of these young martyrs,
the Eleven Stars Football Club and the entire community of Stutterheim
and the surrounding areas. Your loss is our loss.
Abulele, Siviwe and Awethu suffered at the ‘coal face’ of lack of
community support by both business and villagers as well as structured
support from government and civil society organizations. If that support
was provided to them they were not going to resort on hiking taxis to and
from the sport tournaments. If the business people of Kubusi in particular
and King William’s Town in general had a social responsibility programmes
to extend their unreserved support to this team and others such tragic
occurrences could be avoided. If supported, these young fellows could
not have resorted into hiking a lift from a vehicle carrying corpse to a
funeral service.
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According to our tradition, the living soul does not share a same space
with the dead. We can’t allow our people and players to be transported
by hearses or vehicles who are in our vicinity to observe the send-off of the
dead even using transport carrying the dead to and/or from sport
tournaments. This is a recipe for disaster and tragedy. We must support
our clubs and athletes with what ever we have including transport, food
and sport attire and equipment in order for them to participate
meaningfully in the sporting events and tournaments.
This tragedy is evident of the lack of structured support of our local sport
organizations and clubs by our communities and government structures
especially those who come from disadvantaged and neglected areas in
particular rural and peri-urban areas.
I would therefore like to take this opportunity to call upon the Department
of Sport and Recreation in the Eastern Cape Province to prioritise the
Kubusi Village in their sport and recreation plan going forward. I would
also like to call upon the Kubusi Business Community to partner with the
Eastern Cape Department of Sport and Recreation and the Municipality
to provide an enabling environment for sport development and
excellence in the Kubusi Village and the greater Stutterheim community.
Let us in the name of Siviwe, Abulele and Awethu do good for humanity.
Let us join hands to assist the Eleven Stars Football Club and all other sport
and recreation associations in this Municipality with the required support
to participate fully in sport and recreation activities at all levels of
participation.
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In conclusion, in paying my tribute to these martyrs, I would like to live the
Kubusi Community with the wise words from Karl Marx, one of the well
known philosophers in the world, in a letter to his father in 1837:
“If we have chosen the position in life in which we can most of all
work for mankind, no burdens can bow us down, because they are
sacrifices for the benefit of all; then we shall experience no petty,
limited, selfish joy, but our happiness will belong to millions, our
deeds will live on quietly but perpetually at work, and over our
ashes will be shed the hot tears of noble people”.
In the same token, SRSA would like to convey our heartfelt condolences
to the families of the Eleven Stars Football Club members who passed
away in this accident from a sport tournament.
We therefore pay
homage to these fallen soccer heroes from the Kubusi Village who lost
their youthful lives.
SRSA lowers its banners to pay tribute to the colossal contribution of these
martyrs towards a representative sport system in the Republic of South
Africa and our society. Their death will not go unnoticed; and I hope the
management of sport and recreation in the Eastern Cape will look at a
possibility to make this tragedy an opportunity for hundreds of young
people in this village to participate in sport and recreation with out any
hindrance. This will make sure that their spirits will bless every child in this
village.
In their name and that of Eleven Stars let us put sport
development high on the agenda of our communities. May their souls
rest in peace?
I thank you.
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END!
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