On Friday, 11 October 2019, Sasol AmaWheelaBoys joined the Netcare Rehabilitation Hospital for the annual sports day. The event was aimed at inspiring and building confidence in patients with disabilities by using sports to demonstrate physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing. Sasol AmaWheelaBoys, who are currently championing wheelchair basketball in South Africa took part in the event as a way to instil hope in the lives of patients and staff at the hospital.
Established in the year 2000, the event has successfully run for 19 years, providing AmaWheelaBoys with the opportunity to make a difference in the community.
Emphasising on AmaWheelaBoys’s purpose at the event, team manager Gerhard Smith said, “Today we visited the Netcare Rehabilitation Centre as part of our initiative to promote the game of wheelchair basketball. We also wanted to inspire patients to get involved in the game because who knows, with hard work and dedication, one of these patients could be playing for AmaWheelaBoys at the Paralympics one day.”
The day started off with an exhibition match between AmaWheelaBoys and a team of patients who were willing to face their role models and entertain spectators. “The support was amazing; we saw the other team showing off their competitiveness and the audience cheering as the guys scored baskets. You could really tell that they were having fun”, Smith concluded.
Sasol’s Senior Manager: Group Brand Management, Nozipho Mbatha added, “We always get excited at this time of the year as the team gets to do what they love while inspiring others. As Sasol, we believe that sports for people living with disabilities represents the ultimate triumph of the human spirit. Our goal is to develop, elevate and educate South Africans about wheelchair basketball and the important role it plays in society. We hope that through this event, spectators were able to see the hard work and sportsmanship that goes into playing the sport.”
Musawenkosi Dlamini, a new AmaWheelaBoys player was happy to be part of the initiative for the first time. “I’m grateful to be here today, this is a great opportunity for me to inspire and showcase what wheelchair basketball is all about. I hope our presence created some impact in educating and instilling hope in the patients’ lives.”
For more information to get involved visit the wheelchair basketball website wbsa.basketball.co.za or follow the team on Facebook and Twitter @amawheelaboys
