Soweto, like SA as a whole, suffers from high youth unemployment, with all the social ills that brings. Nearly half of young people aged 15 to 34 are unemployed, according to the latest statistics office figures released in June.
Club coach Nkosi Mzolo said the club has had to overcome traditional beliefs in malign spirits that occupy lakes and rivers — an obvious turn-off for potential kayakers.
“There are still negative connotations attached to children being in the water. People still believe that there is a (supernatural) snake that lives in this dam, so children should not be playing here,” Mzolo said.
For Mntonintshi, who overcame these fears, the dream is “to qualify for the Olympics (and) ... compete on the global stage”. He currently ranks second in the under-23 category in Gauteng, the province around the biggest city Johannesburg.