Basketball legend Khoza heads Botswana delegation
When Basketball South Africa (BSA) needed a head of delegation to Botswana recently, their navigators directed them to Seshego township where they found a shrewd man affectionately known as "Lebani".
SESHEGO – WHEN the name Joseph Gazani Khoza is mentioned in basketball circles, it invokes reverence for a sporting legend whose contribution to the hoop and dunk sport remains unmatched.
When Basketball South Africa (BSA) needed a head of delegation to Botswana recently, their navigators directed them to Seshego township where they found a shrewd man affectionately known as “Lebani”.
The Seshego Sonics boss is currently in Gaborone as BSA’s head of delegation for the junior tournament that is currently underway. Under his watch, South Africa will face off against Angola, Botswana, Mozambique and Zambia in an Afro Basketball Tournament under the banner of Confederation of Southern African Sport Association (Cossasa).
In Khoza, BSA appointed a candidate who is conversant with the national game following his longevity in club and provincial administration.
The chairperson of Limpopo Basketball Association is one of the few administrators who are still keeping the game’s flame ablaze in the face of myriad hardships.
His meteoric rise to stardom in the game can be traced back to his legendary days when he led Sonics to memorable victories in a more cheerful way.
Khoza cut his basketball teeth with the Sonics junior side in 1992 and rapidly booked his provincial berth in 1995.
Explaining his brisk rise to recognition, Khoza said: “I joined the basketball revolution with a clear mandate of making the best out of it. That is why my success was achieved within a short space of time”.
Since that historic call-up to the provincial fold, Khoza has been a permanent feature in the marauding Limpopo set-up, and with an impressive work rate, he frequently got national call-ups to represent his country with due unquestionable patriotism.
With a penchant for leading from the front, he pursued a coaching role in 1995 and was thrown a lifeline by the provincial governing body to lead the team in the 1996 Inter-Provincial Tournament (IPT) in Port Elizabeth.
“After given this task of coaching at provincial level, I never looked back,” said Khoza.
In 1998, he took the u/13 team to the IPT when he won gold and repeated the same historic feat with the u/16 team in 2003.
At club level, he led Sonics to an emphatic victory during the 1995 national championships.
Khoza then cemented his place in the national set-up after he was appointed assistant coach to guide the u/20 men’s team in 2006 and won gold with the u/17 national team under Cossasa.
As head of delegation, Khoza said: “my duty is to ensure all logistical issues are dealt with. Again, I’ll be maintaining healthy relationships with the international basketball communities and the technical team”.
