On Sunday, about 11 athletes and former students of Zwelakhe Senior Secondary School from Emaxesibeni ran a 40 kilometres charity run from KwaBhaca to Emaxesibeni engulfed and inspired by the spirit of giving.
Luyanda “aka coach Luya” Mgoduka came up with the idea of running in order to seek and ask donations of sanitary pads to be donated to their former school where they matriculated.
“Giving is not about making donations but it is about making a difference. It is about time as men we learn to respect and love women during our school days. Some of the female students would not attend school when they were on periods as they couldn’t afford sanitary pads. So we believe the little we can do can make a difference,” said Mgoduka.
He said their target was to donate 100 packs but the support they got from stakeholders was greater and they managed to get 160 packs of sanitary pads with some pledging to donate more. He concluded by saying this run will also assist them as Langelihle Thamela, Inga Gxoko and Aqhama Tanzi are preparing for Cosacsca Track and Field National Championships and some of them are also preparing for the Comrades Marathon.
Deputy Principal of Zwelakhe Senior Secondary School, Mr Khonyashe was deeply touched by this donation. He said sport in their community has a positive impact and he believes that this donation will go a long way and instil the dignity of the female students in their school.
Mgoduka and his friends subscribe under the umbrella of XJ Athletic club and as a team we really appreciate such independent initiatives from our runners because this promotes the spirit of giving and also promotes our brand as the team.