A SUCCESSFUL village businessman, Elias Moekoa (76), has found a meaningful way to give back.
He is investing in the community that raised him.
Moekoa, an undertaker, construction expert, and former taxi boss from Thabong Village, QwaQwa in the Free State, has launched a highly successful soccer tournament to give back to his community.
The much-anticipated event was held at Bereya Sports Ground in a deeply rural part of the province, bringing together scores of villagers to celebrate sport, unity, and local talent.
The tournament not only showcased football skills but also revived community spirit and pride, proving that true success is measured by giving back.
Thirteen local football clubs, including boys' and girls' teams, took part, with Dinare FC winning R10 000 after defeating Good Performers FC 2-1.
Addressing the crowd on Thursday evening, 1 January, Moekoa said his dream is to see players who gained exposure through the tournament progress to higher levels of football.
He hopes the platform will open doors for talented players to compete in top competitions, including the Betway Premier League and even overseas.
Moekoa emphasised that the tournament was created to nurture local talent and change lives through sport.
"I'm strategically hosting a final game on the first day of the year because I want kids to celebrate the end of the year responsibly, knowing they'll be playing for R10 000," he said.
"This initiative keeps them away from alcohol and from walking around late at night, which could put their lives in danger."
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Moekoa believes untapped talent is abundant in deep rural areas, but much of it goes unnoticed because football authorities rarely visit these communities to scout players.
He argues that many gifted youngsters are left behind simply due to a lack of exposure and resources, not ability.
According to Moekoa, if football's top brass invested more effort in scouting rural areas, it could significantly strengthen the player pool and raise the standard of Bafana Bafana.
"I will work hard to ensure that some of the talented players who showcased their abilities here get opportunities to play in the Betway Premier League and even overseas.
"We have witnessed incredible talent, yet as a nation, we are failing our kids by not focusing on and nurturing their abilities.
"When talent is ignored, some young people end up turning to drugs like nyaope. Let us use sport as a powerful tool to defeat nyaope and other dangerous drugs in our country, and keep our kids busy with positive and meaningful activities," he said.
Moekoa was supported by Maluti-a-Phofung MMC for Sports, Arts and Culture, Bridgett Lebesa, whose involvement was key to the initiative's success.
"We've made a resolution to refurbish Charles Mopeli Stadium so that major village tournaments like this one can be played there. We're also working tirelessly to bring back a Betway Premiership football club to our district following the disappearance of Free State Stars," said the MMC.
"Our goal is to build a strong football club within our municipality to replace Free State Stars. Our people deserve to have their own football club, with their own children proudly playing for it."
