Usuthu Seen in the Community September 15, 2009 Friday was a busy start to a tough weekend for AmaZulu officials. Club PRO Philani Mabaso was invited as a guest speaker to Umlazi High Secondary High School where he spoke about the importance of sport as a tool against drugs and alcohol in youth.

The Umlazi D section high school invited local radio presenter Siyabonga Seme of Inanda FM and youth politician Nhlanhla Thwala, who encouraged the newly formed TADA group launched on the day to lead by example.

“I used to be part of a wrong crowd myself in my young days, indulging in alcohol, but I was lucky because I got hurt and I learnt early,” said Thwala.

He went on to urge youngsters to look at other role models as sources for inspiration in different interests like sports, entertainment and politics, to mention a few.

Philani Mabaso encouraged youngsters to create options for themselves, helping to escape negativity.

“There is no better way to avoid negativity like poverty and drugs than playing sports. Look at Caster Semenya she is an example of courage, you can choose to focus on your dreams faced with anything and achieve your dreams”, Mabaso told a room full of impressed scholars.

In a gesture of the club's support, Mabaso presented the school’s principal, Mr Shange, with a new AmaZulu replica jersey, which the principal gladly accepted.

A few hours later in the evening former Bafana Bafana master coach Clive Barker joined Mabaso along with Supporters Coordinator Bukelani Mthembu, who were both good sports and dined with Durban team Bayview Sports Club in their glitz player awards function.

Barker entertained the crowd about his opinions on the struggling national team and Coach Joel Santana’s woes, a position the former coach knows all too well about.

Bayview as club was formed in 2001 with experienced Sports Writer Mervin Naidoo as its first Chairman. Club PRO Gary Moodley and Current Chairman Pat Moodley spoke highly of the club’s coming of age as an amateur outfit that has managed to attract numerous sponsors using local media. 

Also present in the function was SAFA Chatsworth President Tiny Kirsten, who congratulated the impact of small, yet rich-in-tradition clubs like Bayview. 

“We as AmaZulu are very honoured to be part of any exchange of ideas with Bayview. Obviously we can learn a lot from each other, and look at starting a symbiotic relationship as we are also looking to grow our support base in Chatsworth as a community,” said Mabaso.

The development structures of the club received good reviews from Clive Barker, who also thanked the involvement of the community in rallying behind smaller teams.

As if that was not enough to bring a smile to all the players in all divisions, as well as management, a local businessmen announced he would donate R100 000 to the team over a 3 year sponsorship deal.

Bayview’s Winning sides in each division:

U11 - Runners up in the Scidifa K.O.Cup

U13 - Winners of the Scidifa one-day K.O.Cup

U17 - Winners of the Scidifa K.O.Cup and mattress king K.O.Cup

Division 1 - Semi-finalist in both the Smirnoff K.O.Cup and the Mattress king K.O.C

PREMIER - Winners of the Smirnoff K.O.Cup for the second time and winners of the Mattress King K.O.Cup for the third time