Former Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana defender Siyabonga Sangweni has reacted to his hometown sports complex being named in his honour.
A newly built sports complex, nestled in Dondotha, Mpangeni – the hometown of Sangweni, is worth R47 million.
It was officially handed over by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sports, Arts and Culture to the local municipality on Saturday.
The handover ceremony served as a tribute to Sangweni, a local hero who excelled during his playing days.
High-profile dignitaries including KZN Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Dr. Ntuthuko Mahlaba, and local leaders, attended the event.
To celebrate the new era in sporting and recreational infrastructure, sports fans were treated to a sporting extravaganza.
The festivities kicked off with a match between KwaZulu-Natal Legends and King Cetshwayo Legends. It was followed by an exhibition match featuring Orlando Pirates Legends and Kaizer Chiefs Legends.
Sangweni thanked the provincial government for developing the local community and honouring him.
He said the facility would be used to nurture young people’s talents and help them achieve their dreams of becoming stars in future.
‘THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT THERE WAS SOMEONE CALLED SANGWENI’
“I just wanna thank God because everything that happens, he’s the only one who knew that at this time this was going to happen,” said Sangweni.
“I must also thank my parents, I don’t mean my biological parents only, I mean every person in the community who helped us grow, I also thank the football supporters for backing me when I was growing up.
“This means a lot to me, this was started by our fathers in the olden days when they built a football field. Luckily, I was produced from that and it came with changes.
“When a child is born, it depends whether they listen to the parents. I knew what I wanted in life, there’s a lot of wrong things I could have done that would have driven me to the wrong places.
“If you remember how this field was during the games we used to do…the municipality got involved. I just want to thank the leadership for approaching me about this.
“They said they would do something that would make everyone happy. And this is for young kids that we’re preparing the future of.
“This makes me happy because even when I’m gone, they will always remember that there was someone like Sangweni.
“I think this is the first time in King Cetshwayo to have such a facility, it makes me happy. I’m even happy for the people of this place because they will benefit from this.”
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