Download PDFOn 9 August 2023, in commemoration of the generation of 1956 where 20 000 women marched against the carrying of the dompass, the coach and founder of African Connection Women Football Club, Chris Totobela and the team hosted the first ever Diski Queens Tournament under the theme “Kicking the ball against Gender Based Violence and Drug Abuse”.
The were 21 teams invited on the day to play on the tournament, among those 21 teams, four were schools’ teams and one was a veterans’ team of women that played only to motivate the girls on the day.
One of the guests of the day who also did the kick-off was the present writer, Anelisa Bentele, a co-director of Isikhalo Womxns Movement and is also a secretary of a safe house for abused women and children. Bentele spoke about the problem of gender-based violence and the leadership role of women in society.
In South Africa, we are still oppressed as women in the workplace, through culture and in the justice system. It is therefore important to teach young girls about our history and show them a picture of where we want to be soon.
Nosifundo Mfabana, a veteran said, “It was a great tournament and it’s been a while I was trying on the fields, so I felt good to be on the field again, in fact for the last time and playing as a veteran. I wish and hope that the days like that for Womans [sic] will not stop but continue so that girl children will be out of chances of being pregnant and be involved in drugs.”
Totobela said, “I started this girls club in 1996, growing up in a community that only saw the girl child for house chores and only playing netball as sport, I then thought of starting my own girls club and give back to the community,” Said the coach, “We did not only organise prizes for the winners, every team got toiletries because the main aim of the day was to educate and motivate the girls,” he added.
African Connection Women’s Football Club won the inaugural and historic diski tournament.
“I am so happy that we won this, I felt like crying, worse when I also received an award for being the best player of the day,” said Emihle Dyonashe, the team’s top player.
Soccer on its own teaches children discipline and confidence, soon people will be seeing a lot of women in the forefront of the sport.
This article was submitted on 23 August 2023. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
