For Sibulele Gede, football and netball are about far more than winning matches.
Growing up in Nompumelelo village near Qonce, he saw first-hand how easily young people could drift into drugs, crime and hopelessness when they had little to occupy their time.
Today, through the Nompumelelo Youth Forum, he is using sport to provide dozens of children with a different path, while rallying support for struggling families in his community.
The forum, established in 2022, brings together football and netball players aged between 10 and 27, and is run by five volunteers.
Though Gede now works full-time in construction, he still coaches three afternoons a week.
“Before securing employment at the construction site, I trained the children every day, but due to my current commitment, I now take them for three days a week,” he said.
“The aim is to give them something to look forward to when they come back from school, because once children become idle, it becomes easy for them to experiment with substances.”
Having faced his own challenges growing up, Gede said sport gave him purpose when little else did.
“I want these youngsters to have a better life and not be constrained by their backgrounds but to know there is more to life than what they currently see around them,” he said.
“They need to see it not just as a childhood thing but as a lifestyle and even a career choice for those that are lacking academically.”
He said seeing even one youngster build a professional career through sport would make all the effort worthwhile.
The youth forum’s work extends well beyond the sports field.
Gede co-founded a school uniform outreach programme that raises donations for children from struggling families, including for children at Vulingqondo Primary School.
The organisation also supports bereaved households with groceries through a family burial support programme and has helped vulnerable residents access municipal assistance.
The forum has also secured food parcels and internet data for matric pupils.
Carla Swaartbooi, who nominated Gede, said his commitment to serving his community stretched back more than a decade.
After releasing an album with his music group, Inyikima, in 2015, he launched the Inspire outreach programme, visiting schools to encourage young people to value education and believe in their potential.
She said he later helped Masihlangane Senior Secondary School reach the final stages of the TruFM #Back2School competition, before turning his attention to expanding opportunities through grassroots sport.
“Since becoming the volunteer coach of Arsenal Sporting Club in 2014, he has transformed the club by securing its affiliation with the local football association, strengthening its governance through a board of governors, opening its first official bank account, and introducing a girls’ netball programme to create sporting opportunities for young women,” Swaartbooi said.
She said Gede had also mobilised national support for two vulnerable boys in 2021 after appealing for help on Umhlobo Wenene FM, resulting in donations of groceries, clothing, financial assistance and support for one boy’s traditional initiation.
“These initiatives reflect his belief that lasting community development begins with restoring dignity, supporting families, and creating opportunities for those most in need,” she said.
Vulingqondo Primary School principal Nozuko Ngemntu said the forum had made a visible difference since partnering with the school.
“We used to find things like weed [dagga] among our learners, but since they were introduced to these activities, we have seen great change, even with their behaviour,” she said.
Ngemntu said the school uniform programme had also restored confidence among many pupils from disadvantaged households.
“Most of the parents are unemployed and are dependent on social grants, which are not enough to cater for all their needs.
“I hope the forum can grow, because it has lightened so much of our burdens as educators, because we do not have any sports activities at the school, and the children are also well looked after, even beyond the field.”
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