Luyanda Peter, known in the local community as Ta V, started his work even before training sessions began. He drives an old minibus, collecting young players from Lwandle and taking them to fields both in the settlement and in Somerset West. Peter noted that his transport is a 1983-1984 model bus that he still uses.
He performs many functions: driver, coach, and sometimes even assistant during play. Peter founded the non-profit organization Veron Youth Academy (VYA), which offers a free after-school football and education program. This program is for boys and girls aged six to eighteen in the Helderberg area and currently covers about 180 children, from junior groups to the senior team.
Peter told IOL Media that his personal story began with the loss of his mother in a sudden car accident, which drastically changed his family's life since she was the sole breadwinner, and his father was unemployed at the time.
Involving Children Through Football
Football became his way forward. He played in the then Vodacom league, now the ABC Motsepe League, and later received a preliminary contract with SuperSport United. However, he declined the opportunity to play abroad because his partner was pregnant at the time, and he decided to prioritize the child's life over his football career, wanting to be a father.
Peter emphasized that the locals supported him in those years. He believes that if he had grown up elsewhere after his mother's death, his fate might have been different, but thanks to the principle of Ubuntu, people from this area offered him support and help. He acknowledged, however, that dangers in the settlement are real, as children are easily drawn into drugs and bad friends.
The academy started with just a few boys on a concrete pitch that was previously an artificial turf football field. Peter explained that he bought balls with money earned from working to feed his family, but he couldn't leave the children who were so eager to play and trusted him.
A Symbol of Hope for Lwandle
Today, the children also receive homework assistance on Wednesdays, as well as meals from the academy's garden. Peter regularly visits their homes because some boys do not have food at home, and he shares what is available in his own house.
The academy has no permanent sponsor, and Peter receives no income from it. In his estimation, it requires about 500,000 rand per year to operate effectively. Sometimes he uses money from his own home for the academy's needs, despite knowing that his children might complain because their father is spending their funds. Nevertheless, he considers the other children his own and cannot stand by while watching their difficulties.
The academy's logo depicts a water tank that once served the migrant workers of Lwandle, and for Peter, it symbolizes something more. He claims it is the hope of the community and the only factor capable of getting children off the streets. The academy helps them achieve a new level of cohesion and gives them self-confidence, which is evident in their wide smiles.