by Thapelo Matlala
A highly spirited woman, Babalwa Budaza, caught the ball from the sky last December and kept it rolling.
Budaza is the founder and manager of the New Young Aloes Netball club of Fingo.
Budaza comes from a family highly committed to grassroots sports – she is the niece of the late Fundile “Jeff” Budaza, the former Makana municipality sports officer, who was instrumental in having the Joza Indoor Sports Centre built. An activist in the Unemployed People’s Movement (UPM), Budaza confidently describes that she intends to make sure that the team always thrives as a means of empowering young girls and showing them that they deserve to be prioritized.
The club is anti-discrimination and welcomes LGBTQI+ members who may have faced discrimination in other settings.
She said parents sometimes discourage their children from showing up at practice sessions, thinking that this will distract them from their schoolwork.
However, Budaza said after just one hour of training, the children look delighted, calm, and relieved. “Parents should recognise that these kids come home from school tired, and this is just the refreshment they need to de-stress from school activities”.
The New Young Aloes Netball Club also combats gender-based violence (GBV), and is a safe space for children from homes where alcoholism occurs. The club also supplies hungry participants with food and sanitary towels. But they need a funder to support this, as currently, Budaza uses her own scarce funds to pay for these items.
“I am so disappointed in the department of Sports, Arts, and Culture because it seems like they do not take us seriously. They call for a meeting and when the meeting is about to take place, they cancel or postpone it. Is that fair to us?” asks Budaza.
“They even arrange after-school events with my netball players but come empty-handed. How on earth would you schedule something for children after school when they are hungry and yet not come with lunch? I feel that this demotivates the children” she says.
With an aching voice, Budaza explained that sometimes the department brings some medals and bags that have been left over from other events, without ensuring that there are enough for all the players.
“The kids do not have practice kit or even balls, while on the other hand, the department says it supports us,” said Budaza, adding that the players do not feel confident about participating in competitions in their own clothes, while other teams have uniforms.
(If you would like to support the New Young Aloes Netball Club with balls, uniforms, uniforms, food or sanitary pads, please contact Babalwa Budaza on 084 903 47 47).
