Not only did he win many awards in primary school, in high school he started to play for one of the village’s soccer clubs, Basani FC. “We played a lot of tournaments, including the Mayor’s Cup twice. At first, I was not really passionate about soccer, it was only an extracurricular activity. As time went by, I started to learn more of the sport from senior players, especially on how to control the ball,” says Mahundla.

Mahundla says he currently plays full-time for Bomba FC, a team made up of soccer players from the villages around Giyani but playing in the Gauteng leagues. He says once you are on the field, you forget your daily problems and challenges. “Many people can help their families through soccer. Your team also becomes family, we are all like brothers,” he says. According to him, soccer keeps youngsters from going to taverns.

Also read: ‘Soccer is not just sport, it’s a lifestyle’

“After school, you play soccer after which you only have time to study,” he adds. In Gr 11, he was chosen for the Bidvest Juniors, but because it was mid-year, his school principal did not agree to transfer him. “I was disappointed, and I thought that becoming a professional soccer player was not meant for me.”

He says he looks up to two legends from his village, Lassy Ramollo and Terrance Mabunda. Whenever Basani and Black Pirates, the clubs in his village, played against each other, they attended because they knew it would be an interesting match because of Ramollo and Mabunda. His motto is to strive for a better tomorrow. “We all want to have something good, and we do what it takes to have a better future.”